WO2019150340A1

WO2019150340A1 - Device and method for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3d video glasses

Info

Publication number: WO2019150340A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/050898
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jure Repe; Matic MEKINDA; Kristjan VUJKOVIČ
Original assignee: Xpand 3D, Logistika In Transporti, D.O.O.
Priority date: 2018-02-05
Filing date: 2019-02-05
Publication date: 2019-08-08
Also published as: SI25605A

Abstract

The device for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, comprises a housing formed by two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom and a top wall; a door closing said housing on the side, from which the device is serviced; a tub arranged inside the housing and defining a cleaning chamber or a space for cleaning glasses; a water collector with a drain channel arranged under the tank; at least one spray bar, preferably two spray bars, which are arranged in the tub and connected via a duct to a pump arranged in the water collector and delivering cleaning water to the respective spray bar; a cleaning water tank, a rinsing water tank, a cleaning agent tank, an additive tank, a wastewater container, wherein the tanks and the container are arranged adjacent to the housing of the device, a rack for receiving the glasses to be cleaned, wherein the device is provided on the rear wall of the housing at the lower edge with an inlet opening for supplying warm air with a minimum overpressure, and an outlet opening which is distant from the inlet opening, wherein the inlet opening is connected to a fan through an air duct, said fan being arranged adjacent to the housing, and the end of the duct arranged on the fan side is formed as a tubular housing, in which a heating body in the form of a heating coil is arranged.

Description

Device and method for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses

Object of Invention

The object of the invention is a device for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, and a method for cleaning and drying 3D glasses using such a device.

Technical Problem

The technical problem is how to conceive a device for cleaning glasses, preferably 3D video glasses, that will not only perform cleaning but also drying of glasses, particularly surfaces of lenses of glasses to render the lenses of glasses dry and free of water drops, wherein the device must allow a sufficient capacity of cleaning of glasses and be simple to handle, economically justifiable, and ecologically friendly.

Prior Art

Nowadays, cinemas often broadcast films that, in order to achieve greater effects, are recorded in a technique that requires 3D glasses for watching. In such cases, cinematographs use 3D reusable glasses that are of higher quality and provide additional effects, or 3D disposable glasses. The decision for a particular type of 3D glasses depends on several factors. Among the more important are the provision of a glass surface without any impurities that greatly impair the quality of film watching, and disinfected clean glasses. Therefore, the cinemas often opt for 3D disposable glasses, which represent a significant economic burden due to a large number of users, and above all an ecological burden on the environment. From this point of view, 3D reusable glasses are more appropriate, their disadvantage being that they should be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Since cleaning is done using wet cleaning with water and special cleaning agents, water and water drops must be completely removed from the glasses, particularly from the lenses of glasses, once cleaning is completed.

Most of the water and water drops from the glasses are removed by draining since an agent reducing the wetness of the surfaces is added to the water in the rinsing phase. Nevertheless, drops of water to be removed remain on the surface of the glass lenses. Even if water drops are removed, the surface of the glass lenses is damp due to high relative humidity. Therefore, glasses should be wiped with a highly absorbent cloth or dried. Manual wiping is very time-consuming and also very costly, because it requires a considerable number of workers.

Special drying machines with hot chambers have been developed, in which, after the washing is completed, the cleaned and water-drained glasses are placed to dry. The disadvantage of such a type of drying machine is that a basket with glasses needs to be transferred from a cleaning machine to a drying machine, the process is time consuming, since the temperature should not be too high due to the configuration of the 3D glasses. The process is energetically wasteful and at the same time there can still be traces of water drops on the surface of the glass lenses.

WO2011/021949 (Rogujski) discloses a device for cleaning and drying 3D cinema glasses by way of centrifuging. There is a rotary drum within a housing of the device, in which a mesh container capable of receiving two baskets is arranged. In each basket, glasses are arranged side by side and fixed with a special lid due to the centrifugal forces that occur during washing and especially during drying. The two baskets with glasses to be cleaned are inserted into a mesh container, fixed by a locking means and closed in the mesh container. Special nozzles are arranged in the drum through which, during cleaning, the water containing the cleaning agent is sprayed onto the rotating mesh container and thus on the glasses. Once the cleaning cycle is complete, the flow of water through the nozzles stops. The mesh container with the baskets with glasses keeps rotating such that the water present on the glasses, in the baskets and in the mesh container rapidly drains due to the centrifugal force. In this way, the water from the surface of the glasses is removed. However, the air in the drum and thus in the surroundings of the glasses is saturated with water vapour, which can then be deposited on the surface of the glasses, and consequently especially on the glass lenses, due to the surface effect. The surface of the glass lenses so cleaned can still have stains which are essentially aqueous sediments.

Despite a relatively short individual cycle, the device has a low capacity because only two baskets can be inserted into the device at once, said baskets being able to receive a limited, relatively small number of glasses, each basket up to a maximum of 14 glasses. Before being inserted into the cleaning device, each basket must be covered with a special lid that needs to be fixed in order to prevent the glasses from moving in the basket or falling off the basket and getting damaged. After the process is completed, the lid must be unlocked and removed. Because of centrifugal forces, which must be large enough to achieve the desired result, great care and accuracy are required when stacking the glasses into the basket, loading the baskets into the mesh container and fixing them. The process of cleaning the glasses is time consuming due to its low capacity and a large quantity of glasses to be cleaned simultaneously after a single screening, wherein the device requires continuous handling, which means a constant presence of a worker. In the event that the number of baskets to be inserted into the drum increases, the whole device extends accordingly, which makes it very difficult to install in the room.

The process of drying by centrifuge results not only in the demanding construction of the eyeglass baskets and their fixation in the rotary drum, but also requires a special propulsion mechanism with a powerful electric motor.

Solution to the Technical Problem

The technical problem is solved by a device, the main characteristic of which is defined in claim 1.

The device for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, comprises a housing formed by two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom and a top wall; a door closing said housing on the side, from which the device is serviced; a tub arranged inside the housing and defining a cleaning chamber or a space for cleaning glasses; a water collector with a drain channel arranged under the tank; at least one spray bar, preferably two spray bars, which are arranged in the tub and connected via a duct to a pump arranged in the water collector and delivering cleaning water to the respective spray bar; a cleaning water tank, a rinsing water tank, a cleaning agent tank, an additive tank, a wastewater collector, wherein the tanks and the collector are arranged adjacent to the housing of the device; a rack for receiving the glasses to be cleaned, wherein the device is provided on the rear wall of the housing at the lower edge with at least one inlet opening for supplying warm air with a minimum overpressure, and an outlet opening which is distant from the at least inlet opening and arranged on the side wall or the ceiling of the housing or the tub, wherein each inlet opening is connected to a fan through an air duct, said fan being arranged adjacent to the housing, and the end of the duct arranged on the fan side is formed as a tubular housing, in which a heating body in the form of a heating coil is arranged.

The rack is configured as a rack with holders for glasses, so that several racks are stackable into the stack without any extra interconnecting.

At the bottom of the tub, there are guides extending along both sides of the tub, which continue on the inside of the door at its height and are equidistantly spaced.

The device for cleaning and drying glasses and a transport trolley with a loading platform form an assembly for cleaning 3D glasses.

The method for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, with the device of the invention comprises the following steps:

- arranging a stack of racks loaded with glasses to be cleaned in the cleaning chamber of the device, - cleaning the glasses in the cleaning chamber by spraying by means of spray bars with cleaning water, which is pumped from the cleaning water tank, and a cleaning agent,

- pumping of wastewater from the cleaning chamber into a wastewater collector,

- rinsing by spraying through spray bars with clean water from the clean water tank or with mains water together with a wetting agent,

- pumping the rinsing water into the cleaning water tank,

- drying 3D glasses by supplying warm air with minimum overpressure and low relative humidity, the hot air being supplied to the cleaning chamber by means of a fan and heated by a heating body, and by draining the warm air with a relative humidity higher than the inlet humidity from the cleaning chamber.

The device of the invention provides for a quick and thorough drying without any traces of water deposits on the surfaces of glasses due to the removal of the water vapour from the cleaning chamber. The entire method for cleaning and drying glasses can, according to the methods known to date, also last longer than known methods. However, the stack-wise loading of the device considerably increases the number of glasses to be cleaned simultaneously, which actually contributes to the high capacity. A longer cycle of washing is essentially an advantage, since the device does not require the worker to continuously operate the device.

Loading onto the racks is simple and rapid. It does not require additional fastening neither of glasses nor the racks. Transferring to other containers is not necessary. Racks containing clean glasses can be placed into a space where they are needed, without any prior rearrangement, and distributed among users. After use, the glasses can be placed in the same baskets with simultaneous stacking. Its low weight is due to its mesh design and the racks are therefore friendly to the cleaners.

Due to the low consumption of energy carriers, such as water and electricity, the device is also interesting from the economical point of view. Since it contains both the tanks for clean and cleaning water and a wastewater collector, it is also suitable for premises that do not have plumbing - sewage connections, which is quite common in cinemas and other spaces where such glasses can be used, for example, museums, amusement parks, developmental institutions. Thanks to its economic efficiency, the device of the invention can also be used for the cleaning of 3D disposable glasses, thus achieving an ecological effect.

The device of the invention can simply be supplemented by devices and elements that perform a disinfection process.

The solution will be illustrated in more detail by an embodiment and drawings, representing

Fig. 1 device for cleaning and drying 3D glasses, with the door open, front view Fig. 2 device from Fig. 1, side view

Fig. 3 rack

Fig. 4 assembly for cleaning 3D glasses

A device 100 for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, which is substantially conceived as a dishwasher in the water cleaning section, comprises a housing 1 formed by two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom and a top wall, a door 2 closing said housing 1 on the side, from which the device is serviced, a tub 3 arranged inside the housing 1 and defining a cleaning chamber 4 or a space for cleaning glasses. Underneath the tub 3, a water collector 5 with a drain is arranged, in which the cleaning water is present during the cleaning method. The cleaning of the glasses located in the tub 3 is carried out by means of at least one, preferably two spray bars 6 of a known type, which are arranged one in the area of the bottom of the tub 3 and the other in the upper area of the tub 3. Each spray bar 6 is connected via a duct 7 to a pump 8 arranged in the water collector 5 and delivering cleaning water to the respective spray bar 6.

The liquids needed to perform cleaning, i.e. cleaning water, rinsing water, liquid cleaning agent, liquid additive to reduce the wetness of surfaces, are received in tanks, more precisely a cleaning water tank 9, a rinsing water tank 10, a cleaning agent tank 11, an additive tank 12 arranged adjacent to the housing 1 of the device 100, and are fed into the tub 3 through the supply ducts 14 by means of pumps arranged in each tank. In the case of an available plumbing connection, the device can also be connected directly to the water mains.

The rinsing water is led through the discharge duct into the cleaning water tank 9, while the cleaning water, which is essentially wastewater, is led, once the cleaning/washing of the glasses has been completed, into a wastewater container 13 or, if available, into the sewer.

Inside the tub 3 there is at least one rack 15, preferably a stack 22 of racks 15, comprising up to six racks 15 stacked one at the top of the other. The glasses to be cleaned are arranged in the rack 15. The rack 15 in the tub 3 fits onto guides 16 which are arranged at the bottom of the tub 3 and extend along both sides of the tub 3. Guides 17 on the inside of the door 2, along its height, are arranged at an identical mutual distance as the guides 16. These guides 17 are intended to facilitate the insertion of the racks 15 into the interior of the cleaning device.

Said components of the device are active in the method for cleaning the glasses. Once the cleaning and rinsing is over, the glasses are still wet or damp in spite of the medium used to reduce the wettability of the surfaces, which accelerates the draining of the water from the surface of the glasses, and should therefore be dried. The device is provided on the rear wall of the housing 1 and the tub 3 at the lower edge with at least one inlet opening 25 for supplying warm air delivered at a certain minimum overpressure to the cleaning chamber 4 by a fan 18. The fan 18 is arranged adjacent to the housing 1, sucks the ambient air and pushes into the air duct 20. One end of a duct 20 arranged on the fan 18 side is formed as a tubular housing 21, in which a heating body 19 in the form of a heating coil is arranged. When passing through the heating body 19, the air is heated to a working temperature that is higher than the temperature in the cleaning chamber, but lower than the temperature that can cause damage to the glasses. Another end of the duct 20 is connected to the respective inlet opening 25 which is arranged in the lower part of the rear wall of the housing 1. Due to the forced current resulting from the minimum overpressure due to the operation of the fan 18 and the elevated temperatures, the warm air circulates and rises along the cleaning chamber 4 and then flows through the outlet opening 26 that is distant from the at least one inlet opening 25 and arranged below the top wall on the side wall or ceiling of the housing 1. Due to the lower relative humidity of the air supplied, this air, when passing through the cleaning chamber, receives the water vapour present in the chamber and discharges it through the outlet opening 26 from the cleaning chamber 4 into the ambient. Consequently, the relative humidity of the air in the cleaning chamber 4 decreases, the glasses are dry. Since the water vapour has been removed from the chamber, the surfaces of the glasses, especially the surfaces of the glass lenses, are completely clean with no traces of water drops or other insoluble water impurities.

The rack 15 is configured as a wire rack, in which holders for glasses are arranged, the shapes of which are adapted to the shape of the glasses and can be in the form of a repetitive wave of any shape, for example, rectangular, triangular, rounded shapes, wherein the wave can extend over the entire length of the holder or just a part of it. The rack is configured so that several racks are stackable into the stack 22 without any extra interconnecting. Stacking of the racks increases the capacity of the cleaning device, which depends on the shape of the glasses and the type of the racks. In order to simplify the operation of the device 100, in particular loading of the device, the device is mounted on a frame and therefore raised from the ground to such an extent that the distance of the horizontally open door 2 is essentially the ergonomic height of the working counter. For convenience, the device can be supplemented by a transport trolley 27 with a loading surface which is at the same distance from the base as the distance of the horizontally open door. In this case, a stack of racks loaded with glasses is easily pushed from the loading surface of the transport trolley 27 onto the guides 17 of the door 2 and by means of the guides 16 further into the cleaning chamber 4. The device 100 for cleaning and drying glasses and the transport trolley 27 with a loading platform form an assembly 28 for cleaning 3D glasses.

The device of the invention does not only allow the cleaning and drying of glasses, the glasses in the device can also be disinfected during the cleaning process. This can be achieved by adding a suitable disinfectant into the cleaning chamber. Another option is disinfection with ultraviolet light. UV light sources, such as UV lamps, LED lamps with UV light, are connected to a power source and arranged within the cleaning chamber 4 so that UV light captures all the glasses arranged in all racks.

The device is connected to a power source for its operation, preferably to a single phase power source.

The method for cleaning and drying 3D video glasses is performed by means of the device 100 of the invention and comprises the following steps:

a) arranging a stack 22 of racks 15 loaded with glasses to be cleaned in the cleaning chamber 4 of the device 100,

b) cleaning the glasses in the cleaning chamber 4 by spraying by means of spray bars 6 with cleaning water, which is pumped from the cleaning water tank 9, and a cleaning agent from the cleaning agent tank 11 ,

c) pumping of wastewater from the cleaning chamber 4 into a wastewater container 13, d) rinsing by spraying through spray bars 6 with clean water from the rinsing water tank 10 or with mains water together with a wetting agent,

e) pumping the rinsing water into the cleaning water tank 9,

f) drying 3D glasses by supplying warm air with minimum overpressure and low relative humidity, the hot air being supplied to the cleaning chamber 4 by means of a fan 18 and heated by a heating body 19, and by draining the warm air with a relative humidity higher than the inlet humidity from the cleaning chamber.

Claims

1. A device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses, particularly 3D video glasses, comprises

- a housing (1) formed by two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom and a top wall,

- a door (2) closing said housing (1) on the side, from which the device is serviced,

- a tub (3) arranged inside the housing (1) and defining a cleaning chamber (4) or a space for cleaning glasses,

- a water collector (5) with a drain channel arranged under the tub (3),

- at least one spray bar (6), preferably two spray bars (6), which are arranged in the tub (3) and connected via a duct (7) to a pump (8) arranged in the water collector (5) and delivering cleaning water to the respective spray bar (6),

- a cleaning water tank (9), a rinsing water tank (10), a cleaning agent tank (11), an additive tank (12), a wastewater container (13), wherein the tanks and the collector (13) are arranged adjacent to the housing (1) of the device (100),

- a rack for receiving the glasses to be cleaned,

characterized in that

the device is provided on the rear wall of the housing (1) at the lower edge with at least one inlet opening (25) for supplying warm air with a minimum overpressure, and an outlet opening (26) which is distant from the inlet opening (25) and arranged on the side wall or the ceiling of the housing (1),

wherein each inlet opening (25) is connected to a fan (18) through an air duct (20), said fan (18) being arranged adjacent to the housing (1), and the end of the duct (20) arranged on the fan (18) side is formed as a tubular housing (21), in which a heating body (19) in the form of a heating coil is arranged.

2. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to claim 1, characterized in that the outlet opening (26) is arranged under the top wall of the housing (1).

3. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the rack is configured as a rack (15) with shaped holders for glasses.

4. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to claim 2, characterized in that the rack (15) is configured so that several racks are stackable into a stack (22) without any extra interconnecting.

5. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that guides (16) extending along both side walls of the tub (3) are arranged at the bottom of the tub (3).

6. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to any preceding claim, characterized in that guides (17) are arranged on the inside of the door (2), along its height, said guides being arranged at an identical mutual distance as the guides (16).

7. Device (100) for cleaning and drying glasses according to any preceding claim, characterized in that UV light sources are arranged on the inner walls of the tub (3), such as UV lamps, LED light with UV light, such that the UV light from the sources captures all the glasses arranged in the racks (15).

8. An assembly (28) for cleaning glasses, comprising

- at least one device (100) according to any preceding claim

- a transport trolley (27) with a loading platform.

9. A method for cleaning and drying 3D video glasses performed by means of the device (100) according to any of preceding claims, comprising the following steps: - arranging a stack (22) of racks (15) loaded with glasses to be cleaned in the cleaning chamber (4) of the device (100),

- cleaning the glasses in the cleaning chamber (4) by spraying by means of spray bars (6) with cleaning water, which is pumped from the cleaning water tank (9), and a cleaning agent,

- pumping of wastewater from the cleaning chamber (4) into a wastewater container (13),

- rinsing by spraying through spray bars (6) with clean water from the rinsing water tank (10) or with mains water together with a wetting agent,

- pumping the rinsing water into the cleaning water tank (9),

- drying the glasses by a fan (18) and a heating body (19), wherein warm air with minimum overpressure and low relative humidity is supplied to the cleaning chamber (4) and the warm air with a relative humidity higher than the inlet humidity is drained from the cleaning chamber.