WO2023002649A1

WO2023002649A1 - Cleaning device for container

Info

Publication number: WO2023002649A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/004599
Authority: WO
Inventors: 史郎武口; 謙一石原; 和久田村; 紗知前田
Original assignee: 東罐興業株式会社
Priority date: 2021-07-20
Filing date: 2022-02-07
Publication date: 2023-01-26
Also published as: JPWO2023002649A1

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a cleaning device for a container, capable of cleaning the inside of the container by spraying the same, prior to being disposed of, with a cleaning liquid without water leaking from around the container, while saving space, reducing the need for maintenance, and reducing cost by relatively reducing the scale of the device. [Solution] This cleaning device for a container comprises: a mounting table provided with a mounting surface with which an opening edge of a peripheral wall of the container contacts; a housing in which the mounting table is mounted so as to be movable in the mounting direction; an elastic member that is mounted on the housing and is for urging the mounting table along the mounting direction; a cleaning mechanism that is mounted on the housing and sprays the inner surfaces of the bottom section and the peripheral wall section of the container with the cleaning liquid; and a control means for spraying the inner surfaces of the bottom section and the peripheral wall section with the cleaning liquid via the cleaning mechanism when the mounting table is lowered by a predetermined distance.

Description

container washing equipment

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for containers such as paper cups and resin cups.

Conventionally, beverages such as water and coffee have been sealed in containers and offered at vending machines and stores. Materials for such containers include, for example, paper, synthetic resins such as PET, glass, and metals such as aluminum.

In recent years, beverages to be poured into containers have also diversified, and in addition to the above-mentioned water and coffee, beverages to which foamed milk, caramel sauce, mousse foam, etc. are further added are gaining popularity. Therefore, when the drinker has finished drinking the beverage, not only the beverage but also some of the toppings such as foamed milk and sauce may remain in the container and be discarded.
On the other hand, for example, as in the patent documents exemplified below, there is also known a cleaning device for beverage containers that is installed in a production line of a factory or in a vending machine.

For example, in Patent Document 1, holding means for a container brought by a user, washing means for washing the container, drying means for removing and drying droplets after washing, and sterilization for sterilizing after drying A beverage vending machine has been proposed comprising means and control means for controlling the operation of these means.

In addition, for example, Patent Document 2 proposes a rotary cleaning device for PET containers installed in a large-scale filling line for PET bottles. Furthermore, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, for example, there is a washing apparatus for a beverage container that is washed by immersing at least part of the cup in a washing tank in which the container is immersed.

JP 2017-51904 A JP 2007-75703 A Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-194455

The cleaning apparatus of the conventional structure including the above-mentioned patent document still has the following points to be improved.
That is, in recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to reduce the environmental load and to save resources and energy, and the reuse of containers that have finished drinking has also been emphasized. For example, the paper cups and resin cups described above are collected and reused after being discarded. Cost will increase.

Therefore, for example, it is effective for the user to wash the container in advance and then collect it, which contributes to energy saving and resource saving in the subsequent recycling process. However, in the case of using a washing tank as proposed in Patent Document 3, not only does the scale of the equipment for this washing become large, but also a complicated mechanism such as measures against water leakage is required.

In addition, although the cleaning apparatus proposed in Patent Document 2 is suitable for production lines of factories suitable for mass production, it is needless to say that it is not suitable for use in small shops or homes, for example. .
Furthermore, the cleaning device proposed in Patent Document 1 is also simple in that it can be attached to a beverage vending machine, but it also has a mechanism and a sterilization mechanism that cleans not only the inside of the beverage container but also the outside. However, it must be said that the introduction barrier is considerably high in that the apparatus configuration is large in size and maintenance of the cleaning mechanism and the sterilization mechanism is also required.

The present invention has been made in view of one example of the above-mentioned problems, and while achieving space saving, maintenance saving and cost reduction by relatively reducing the scale of the apparatus, it is possible to reduce the container before disposal To provide a cleaning device for a container capable of cleaning the inside of the container by spraying a cleaning liquid without leaking to the surroundings.

A container cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises (1) container cleaning for removing foreign matter adhering to the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion of a cylindrical container with a bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion; The device has an opening that can face the bottom portion when the container is placed thereon, and has a placement surface that contacts the edge of the opening of the peripheral wall portion, and is movable in the placement direction of the container. a mounting table that supports the mounting table so as to be movable in the mounting direction; an elastic member that is mounted on the housing and biases the mounting table along the mounting direction; A cleaning mechanism mounted on a housing, at least a part of which protrudes in the opening to spray a cleaning liquid against the inner surfaces of the bottom and the peripheral wall, and the edge of the opening of the container is placed on the mounting surface. and control means for spraying cleaning liquid onto the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the cleaning mechanism based on the movement of the mounting table by a predetermined distance in the state where the mounting table is placed. .

The container cleaning apparatus described in (1) further includes (2) a liquid storage tank mounted on the housing and capable of storing the cleaning liquid, wherein the control means is capable of storing compressed air. an air tank, a compressor that generates the compressed air, and a water suction pump that sucks up the cleaning liquid using the compressed air, and the cleaning liquid is sucked up from the liquid storage tank by the water suction pump using the compressed air. And, it is preferable that the liquid is sprayed onto the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the cleaning mechanism.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus described in (2) above, (3) a mixed fluid obtained by mixing the compressed air with the cleaning liquid is applied as the cleaning liquid to the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the cleaning mechanism. is preferably jetted against.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus according to any one of the above (1) to (3), (4) the cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning liquid discharge section for discharging the cleaning liquid, and a part of the compressed air. and a compressed air discharge portion, wherein the cleaning liquid adhering to at least one of the inner surface of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion is preferably removed by the compressed air discharged through the compressed air discharge portion.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus described in (4) above, (5) the control means comprises a first timer for stopping the supply of compressed air used for sucking up the cleaning liquid, and the compressed air discharge section. a second timer for stopping supply of the compressed air discharged toward the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the It is preferable that the supply of the compressed air discharged toward the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion is stopped via the second timer after the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus described in (4) or (5) above, (6) the compressed air discharge section is arranged around the cleaning liquid discharge section and is arranged against the inner surface of the peripheral wall section. The cleaning liquid discharge part is composed of a plurality of air nozzles having compressed air discharge ports directed thereto, and the cleaning liquid discharge part is arranged so as to be higher than the air nozzles from the mounting surface and ejects the cleaning liquid. It is preferable that it consists of a nozzle.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus described in (6) above, (7) the discharge port of the air nozzle is configured such that the compressed air forms a spiral flow along the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion to the bottom portion. It is preferable that it is provided obliquely upward with respect to the installation surface.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus described in (6) or (7) above, (8) the cleaning liquid nozzle includes a first ejection port for ejecting the cleaning liquid toward the bottom portion and an inner surface of the peripheral wall portion. and a second ejection opening along which the cleaning liquid is ejected.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus according to any one of (4) to (8) above, (9) the cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning liquid containing foreign matter after being sprayed onto the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion. and a waste liquid tank mounted on the housing and capable of storing the cleaning liquid containing the foreign matter recovered by the cleaning liquid recovery section.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9) above, (10) an installation opening for installing the mounting table is formed in an upper part of the housing, and the installation opening is preferably provided with a detachable water guiding frame wall for guiding water to the mounting surface without scattering the cleaning liquid around the housing.

Further, in the container cleaning apparatus according to any one of (1) to (10) above, (11) the mounting surface has a funnel shape extending from the peripheral edge toward the opening so that the opening is on the bottom. It is preferable that

According to the present invention, the scale of the apparatus is relatively reduced to save space, save maintenance, and reduce costs. can.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The perspective view which shows typically the washing|cleaning apparatus of the beverage container which concerns on 1st Embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A side view schematically showing the beverage container cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The front view which shows typically the washing|cleaning apparatus of the beverage container which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a gas flow path configuration in the beverage container cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment. Schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of a cleaning mechanism in the beverage container cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment. Schematic diagram showing a detailed structure (part 1) around a cleaning nozzle in the cleaning mechanism according to the first embodiment. Schematic diagram showing a detailed structure (part 2) around the cleaning nozzle in the cleaning mechanism according to the first embodiment. Schematic diagrams showing state transitions before and after the start of cleaning in the beverage container cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment. Schematic diagram showing a flow path configuration in a beverage container cleaning apparatus according to a second embodiment. Schematic diagram showing a cleaning device for beverage containers according to a third embodiment

Hereinafter, the apparatus for cleaning beverage containers according to the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that the following embodiment describes an example of the present invention, and does not unintentionally limit the present invention. good too. In the following description, the Z direction is the vertical direction when the cleaning apparatus 100 is placed, and the direction in which a container (for example, a beverage container) is placed on the placement table 10 is the Z direction. and the Y direction are conveniently set.

<<First embodiment>>
[Container 200]
A suitable container 200 in this embodiment is a known cylindrical container with a bottom that has a bottom portion 210 and a peripheral wall portion 220 and that allows the beverage to be poured from an opening edge 230 at the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion 220 . Examples of such containers include known cups and edible cans made of paper, glass, resin or metal.

Also, examples of objects that can be injected into the container 200 include drinking liquids (beverages) such as coffee, tea, water, carbonated drinks, and alcoholic beverages. Although a beverage container is exemplified below as an example of the container 200 that can be applied to the cleaning device 100, objects to be cleaned by the cleaning device 100 in the present invention are not limited to beverage containers as described above.

That is, containers applicable to the present invention include not only beverages but also solid foods, for example, as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present invention, in which foreign matter adhering to the container is easily washed in a small store or at home. Various containers in general can be applied, such as food and beverage containers that can be stored, and storage containers that can store articles such as medicines and detergents.

[Container cleaning device 100]
Next, a container cleaning apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. As described above, the container 200 will be described below as an example of a paper cup for drinking or a resin cup.

As can be understood from FIG. It is configured to have the function of removing foreign matter adhering to the inner surface 220 a of the portion 220 . In addition, the "foreign matter" in the present embodiment includes dirt such as dust as well as part of the content (residue) remaining in the container 200 described above.

More specifically, the container cleaning apparatus 100 includes at least a mounting table 10 , a housing 20 , an elastic member 30 , a cleaning mechanism 40 and a control means 50 .
As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 5, the mounting table 10 has an opening 10a that can face the bottom portion 210 of the container when the container 200 is mounted, and the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion 220 ( The opening edge 230) is configured to have a mounting surface 11 in contact therewith.

Examples of materials for the mounting table 10 include known synthetic resins such as plastics, and metal materials such as aluminum.
Further, as understood from FIG. 5 and the like, the mounting table 10 is mounted on the mounting plate 12 via known fixing means 13a such as screws. Further, the mounting plate 12 is mounted on an upper portion of an elastic member 30 which will be described later, and can be moved up and down under the action of the elastic member 30 .

Therefore, the mounting table 10 of the present embodiment is configured to be movable in the mounting direction of the container 200 by means of the elastic member 30 while being mounted on the mounting plate 12 described above. In this embodiment, the worker presses the container 200 against the mounting table 10 in the vertical downward direction (the direction of gravity), so that the mounting table 10 mounted on the mounting plate 12 moves in the mounting direction described above. (i.e. in the direction of gravity).

As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting surface 11 is a conical surface in which the opening 10a is at the bottom (lowest position in the direction of gravity), and a funnel is formed from the peripheral edge 10b toward the opening 10a. It is preferable that the surface has a rectangular shape. As a result, the cleaning liquid and foreign matter adhering to the mounting surface 11 can flow toward the opening 10a by the action of gravity, and the centering function when the beverage container 200 is mounted can also be exhibited.

In addition, on the mounting surface 11 of the present embodiment, various beverage containers 200 with different standards (that is, height, diameter of the opening edge 230, etc.) can be stably mounted.
Further, the surface of the mounting surface 11 in the present embodiment may be subjected to a known liquid-repellent treatment for exhibiting liquid-repellent properties against the above cleaning liquid and foreign matter. Examples of such liquid-repellent treatment include fluorine treatment for fluorinating the surface and treatment for applying a fluorine film.

The housing 20 is equipped with an elastic member 30, which will be described later, and is configured to have a function of supporting the mounting table 10 described above so as to be movable in the mounting direction (the Z direction in the drawing). More specifically, the housing 20 of the present embodiment can be exemplified by a hollow rectangular parallelepiped frame on which the mounting table 10, a cleaning mechanism 40 described later, and a control means 50 can be mounted.

The material of the housing 20 is not particularly limited as long as it has the strength and durability to mount the mounting table 10 described above, an air tank, a liquid storage tank, etc., which will be described later. Metal materials and synthetic resins such as engineering plastics can be exemplified. Further, the mounting table 10 of the present embodiment may be formed by reusing a resin beverage container that has been cleaned by the cleaning device 100 or the like, for example.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing 20 of the present embodiment has an upper portion 20c, a middle portion, and an upper portion 20c, which is placed between an upper portion 20a corresponding to the top surface of the frame and a bottom portion 20b corresponding to the bottom surface of the frame. It is divided into a portion 20d and a lower portion 20e. As shown in these figures, on the bottom side of the bottom portion 20b are fixed legs 23 for fixing the mounting position of the housing 20, and known casters 24 for horizontally moving the housing 20. At least one of is preferably installed.

Further, in the housing 20 of the present embodiment, as is clear from FIGS. Moreover, it is preferable that the installation opening 21 is provided with a detachable water guide frame wall 22 that guides the cleaning liquid for cleaning the container 200 to the mounting surface 11 without scattering around the housing.

A liquid storage tank 60 mounted on the housing 20 and capable of storing the cleaning liquid is installed in the middle section 20d of the housing 20. A waste liquid tank 70 is installed in the lower part 20e of the housing 20 and is capable of storing the cleaning liquid containing the foreign matter, which is mounted on the housing 20 and recovered by the cleaning liquid recovery unit 43, which will be described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, etc., the housing 20 is provided with an air tank installation portion on which an air tank 51 capable of storing compressed air can be mounted, straddling the middle step portion 20d and the lower step portion 20e. is preferred.

An example of such a water-conducting frame wall 22 is a bowl-shaped circumferential frame made of metal or resin and having an open bottom. By installing the water guide frame wall 22 along the periphery of the installation opening 21, the cleaning liquid and foreign matter scattered around the housing can efficiently flow into the cleaning liquid recovery section 43, which will be described later. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the water guide frame wall 22 is fixed to the housing 20 via known fixing tools 22a such as bolts. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the contaminated water guide frame wall 22 can be easily removed from the housing 20, and maintenance can be improved.

The elastic member 30 is mounted on the housing 20 and configured to have a function of urging the mounting table 10 along the mounting direction (the Z direction, which is also the vertical direction in this embodiment). More specifically, as understood from FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, the elastic member 30 is a known elastic member having a base end installed on the upper step portion 20c of the housing 20 and an upper end connected to the mounting table 10. can be exemplified.

In this embodiment, a known spring member is used as an example of the elastic member 30, but other known elastic members such as rubber members may be used.
In addition, as another form of the elastic member 30, it is not limited to a form using an elastic body, and as long as it has the above functions, for example, an electric actuator such as a known hydraulic cylinder or pneumatic cylinder connected to a power supply (not shown) can be used. may be composed of

In the present embodiment, a total of four spring members as the elastic members 30 are provided in the upper part 20c so as to correspond to the four corners of the mounting table 10. If possible, the number of spring members is not limited to four. For example, three spring members may be used, or one or two spring members may be provided via a known guide.

As can be seen from FIGS. 5 to 7, the cleaning mechanism 40 is mounted on the housing 20 described above, and at least a portion of the cleaning mechanism 40 protrudes within the opening 10a described above to separate the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200. It is configured to have a function of injecting the cleaning liquid onto the inner surface 220a. The cleaning liquid suitable for this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it can remove the above-described foreign matter, and examples thereof include tap water and known alcohol-containing water.

More specifically, the cleaning mechanism 40 of the present embodiment includes a cleaning liquid discharge portion 41 that discharges the cleaning liquid described above, and a compressed air discharge portion 42 that discharges part of the compressed air supplied from an air tank 51, which will be described later. is composed of Further, as shown in FIG. etc. are mounted on the body portion 44. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5 and the like, the main body 44 of the cleaning mechanism 40 is connected to the mounting table 10 and the mounting plate 12 via known fastening means 13b such as screws.
For example, during cleaning, the cleaning liquid adhering to at least one of the bottom portion 210 and the inner surface 220a of the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 is removed by the compressed air discharged through the compressed air discharge portion 42 described above.

Among them, the compressed air discharge part 42 of the present embodiment is arranged around a known flow path through which compressed air can flow and the inner surface 220a of the peripheral wall part 220, as shown in FIG. The air nozzle 42N has a compressed air outlet directed to the air nozzle 42N. More specifically, the air nozzle 42N of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of air nozzles 42N (first air nozzle 42Na and second air nozzle 42Nb) that are intermittently arranged surrounding the cleaning liquid discharger 41 described above.
As in the third embodiment, which will be described later, the compressed air discharge section 42 is not necessarily essential in the washing apparatus of the present invention. (similarly in the second embodiment).

Also, in this embodiment, the two air nozzles 42N are exemplified, but any three or more air nozzles 42N may be installed as long as space constraints are satisfied. In addition, as long as an upward swirling flow, which will be described later, can be generated to the extent that foreign matter and cleaning liquid can be removed, a plurality of air nozzles 42N need not necessarily be installed, and only a single air nozzle 42N may be installed. . The specific structure of such an air nozzle is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of injecting air from the above-described discharge port. Nozzle parts are applicable.

As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the discharge port of the air nozzle 42N is a spiral flow ( In this embodiment, the air flow in the beverage container at the time of washing is also referred to as an "upward spiral flow". It is preferable that it is provided facing radially outward and vertically upward. As a result, the cleaning liquid and foreign matter remaining inside the beverage container 200 can be efficiently removed and recovered by the cleaning liquid recovery section 43, which will be described later.

In this embodiment, the installation height of the outlet is set so that the upward spiral flow generated by the air nozzle 42N first contacts the vicinity of the opening edge 230 of the inner surface 220a of the peripheral wall portion 220. This makes it possible to efficiently remove foreign matter adhering to the vicinity of the mouthpiece (opening edge 230) of the beverage container 200. FIG.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 of the present embodiment has a well-known channel through which the cleaning liquid can flow and a height from the mounting surface higher than that of the air nozzle 42N. It is configured to include a cleaning liquid nozzle 41z that is arranged to be elevated and ejects the cleaning liquid. The specific structure of the cleaning liquid nozzle 41z is not particularly limited as long as it can eject the cleaning liquid from the ejection port. can be exemplified.

As shown in FIG. 6, such a cleaning liquid nozzle 41z has a first discharge port 41a for discharging a part of the cleaning liquid toward the bottom 210 of the beverage container 200 and a remaining cleaning liquid along the inner surface 220a of the peripheral wall 220. can be exemplified by a rotary nozzle provided with a second ejection port 41b that ejects the . In the present embodiment, it is preferable that a plurality of second ejection ports 41b are intermittently provided along the circumferential direction of the cleaning liquid nozzle 41z (in the present embodiment, three are provided in the circumferential direction).

Also, as can be understood from the figure, the washing liquid nozzle 41z is rotatably attached to the base 41e through a known bearing 41c and a retaining ring 41d each made of stainless steel. Further, the base portion 41e to which the cleaning liquid nozzle 41z is attached is attached to the main body portion 44 via known fastening means Fx such as screwing.

As a result, the cleaning liquid nozzle 41z sprays the cleaning liquid onto the bottom portion 210 through the first ejection port 41a during cleaning, and also rotates with respect to the peripheral wall portion 220 to eject the cleaning liquid through the second ejection port 41b. can be injected, and it is possible to exhibit a high cleaning power with respect to the beverage container 200.

As described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning mechanism 40 of the present embodiment includes a cleaning liquid recovery section that recovers the cleaning liquid containing foreign matter after being sprayed onto the inner surface 220a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200. 43. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning liquid recovery unit 43 of the present embodiment includes a recovery hole arranged around the cleaning liquid discharge unit 41 and connected to a waste liquid tank 70, which will be described later. It is composed of a recovery cup 43g and the like for receiving the cleaning liquid recovered through. The recovery cup 43g is connected to the waste liquid tank 70 described above via a recovery channel 56E, which will be described later. is recovered by

As shown in the figure, the recovery holes in this embodiment are arranged intermittently around the cleaning liquid discharger 41 so as to be arranged concentrically with the air nozzle 42N with respect to the cleaning liquid discharger 41. It is preferable to configure the recovery holes 43a to 43f. In this embodiment, a total of six recovery holes are provided on the concentric circle so as to avoid the air nozzles 42N. may be installed.

The control means 50 cleans the beverage container through the cleaning mechanism 40 based on the movement of the mounting table 10 with the upper edge (opening edge 230 ) of the beverage container 200 placed on the mounting surface 11 by a predetermined distance d. It is configured to have a function of injecting cleaning liquid to 200 .
More specifically, the control means 50 of the present embodiment cleans the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 via the cleaning mechanism 40 when the mounting table 10 is lowered by a predetermined distance d (see FIG. 8) in the above-described state. It is configured to have a function of injecting the cleaning liquid to the inner surface 220a of the. A specific example of the predetermined distance d can be appropriately set according to the size of the mounting table 10 and the housing 20. In this embodiment, as an example, a stroke of about 5 to 10 mm can be set. .

More specifically, the control means 50 of this embodiment includes an air tank 51 capable of storing the above-described compressed air, a known compressor 52 for generating the compressed air, two on-off valves with timers, which will be described later, respectively, and a storage liquid. It includes a water suction pump 55 for sucking up the cleaning liquid from the tank 60 and various valves to be described later. As can be understood from FIG. 1 and the like, the compressor 52 of the present embodiment is preferably installed in the lower part 20e of the housing 20 from the viewpoint of noise suppression.

Although the compressor 52 in the cleaning apparatus 100 of this embodiment is composed of two compressors, the first compressor 52A and the second compressor 52B, a single compressor may be used.
In the cleaning device 100 of the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 60 is sucked up by the water suction pump 55 using the compressed air generated by the compressor 52, so that the beverage is discharged through the cleaning mechanism 40 described above. The cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the inner surface 220 a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the container 200 .

Thus, the control means 50 in this embodiment includes, as shown in FIG. and an on-off valve 54 with a second timer that stops the supply of the compressed air discharged toward the inner surface 220 a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 via the opening and closing valve 54 .

<Injection Mode of Cleaning Liquid to Beverage Container 200>
Next, while comparing FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, the injection mode of the cleaning liquid to the beverage container 200 in this embodiment will be described in detail.
As described above, for example, after the drinker ingests the beverage in the beverage container 200 at a store or at home, foreign matter such as part of the beverage may remain on the inner surface 220a of the peripheral wall portion 220 . At this time, the drinker can use the washing device 100 of the present embodiment to wash the inner surface 220a of the beverage container 200 after drinking.

First, as shown in FIG. 8, the drinker places the beverage container 200 on the mounting table 10 with the opening edge 230 in contact with the mounting surface 11 so that the bottom portion 210 of the beverage container 200 faces vertically upward. do. After that, as shown in the figure, the drinker lowers the mounting table 10 vertically downward by a predetermined distance d while the opening edge 230 of the beverage container 200 is mounted on the mounting surface 11 .

Then, the valve Vb (for example, a known valve such as a mechanical valve can be exemplified) is opened with the above-described descent of the predetermined distance d as a trigger (a trigger, a switch), and as shown in FIG. to control the supply of compressed air to the first air flow path 56A and the second air flow path 56B, respectively. At this time, the on-off valve 53 with the first timer and the on-off valve 54 with the second timer start timing with the descent of the predetermined distance d as a trigger (trigger, switch).

Then, the compressed air flowing through the second air flow path 56B is supplied to a known water suction pump 55 (process pump), so that the cleaning liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 60 is sucked and circulated through the cleaning liquid flow path 57. It is supplied to the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 described above. A specific example of the water suction pump 55 is not particularly limited as long as it can operate with compressed air.

In addition, in this embodiment, a diaphragm pump is applied as an example of the water suction pump 55 .
The cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning liquid ejection section 41 is ejected from the first ejection port 41a and the second ejection port 41b of the cleaning liquid nozzle 41z toward the inner surface 220a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 as described above. be.

On the other hand, the compressed air supplied to the first air flow path 56A is supplied to the compressed air discharge portion 42 described above. The compressed air supplied to the compressed air discharge portion 42 is jetted into the beverage container 200 as an upward spiral flow via the air nozzle 42N (the first air nozzle 42Na and the second air nozzle 42Nb).
As described above, in this embodiment, since the cleaning liquid discharge from the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 and the compressed air discharge from the compressed air discharge section 42 are executed in parallel, the mixed fluid in which the compressed air and the cleaning liquid are mixed is the cleaning liquid. As a result, it is jetted to the inner surface 220 a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 via the cleaning mechanism 40 .

In this embodiment, as described above, when the mounting table 10 is lowered by the predetermined distance d, the opening/closing valve 53 with the first timer and the opening/closing valve 54 with the second timer start timing. At this time, in the cleaning apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the compression from the compressed air discharge section 42 based on the on-off valve 54 with the second timer is stopped rather than stopping the injection of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 based on the on-off valve 53 with the first timer. The air injection is set to be stopped at different timings so that it comes later in the chronological order.

Further, in this embodiment, for example, when the placing table 10 returns to its original position via the elastic member 30 by the user canceling the pressure applied via the beverage container 200, the valve Vb is closed. The supply of compressed air via compressor 52 is stopped. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the user maintains the pressing force through the beverage container 200, the cleaning liquid or the like is stopped through the first timer-equipped on-off valve 53 and the second timer-equipped on-off valve 54 described above. is set to be

Therefore, in the washing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, after the supply of the cleaning liquid to the inner surface 220a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 is stopped via the first timer-equipped opening-closing valve 53, the second timer-equipped opening-closing valve 53 is closed. The supply of the compressed air discharged toward the inner surface 220a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 through 54 is stopped.

As a result, after the inner surface 220a of the bottom portion 210 and the peripheral wall portion 220 of the beverage container 200 has been washed with the cleaning liquid, it is possible to perform draining processing including removal of residual matter by means of an ascending spiral flow of compressed air. . Also, the used cleaning liquid used for cleaning the beverage container 200 is recovered in the waste liquid tank 70 via the recovery hole, the recovery cup 43g, and the recovery channel 56E.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the cleaning apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the branching point BP2 is provided upstream of the branching point BP1 between the first air flow path 56A and the second air flow path 56B. A bypass flow path 56C connected to a bypass confluence point BP3 with the first air flow path 56A downstream of the branch point BP1 may be further provided.
Further, as can be understood from the figure, the bypass flow path 56C is preferably provided with a check valve Vr1 to prevent reverse flow of compressed air. The structure of the check valve Vr1 is not particularly limited as long as the above functions can be achieved, and various known gas check valves may be applied.

As described above, in this embodiment, the compressed air generated by the compressor 52 serves as the power source for the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 and the compressed air discharge section 42. Therefore, depending on the amount of cleaning liquid discharged, the compressed air discharge section 42 It is conceivable that there may be a case where a sufficient discharge pressure cannot be ensured. In such a case, it is also possible to secure a sufficient amount of compressed air to be discharged from the compressed air discharge portion 42 by adding the above-described bypass passage 56C.

According to the washing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the compressed air generated by the compressor 52 is used as the working fluid, and the washing mechanism 40 injects the washing liquid and air to wash the beverage container 200 . there is Therefore, if only an AC 100V power supply can be secured, for example, the scale of the device can be relatively reduced without using an expensive control device such as a PLC, thereby saving space, saving maintenance, and reducing costs. On the other hand, the inside of the container can be cleaned by spraying the cleaning liquid using only one hand without water leakage to the surroundings. Note that the beverage container 200 cleaned by the cleaning device 100 of the present embodiment can be reused, for example, for beverages or other uses.

In addition, since the washing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can wash the beverage container 200 with a simple configuration as described above, the container can be washed not only by a store clerk or a container collection company, but also by the drinker himself/herself. By doing so, it is also possible to have them take part in environmental protection activities.

Note that the AC 100V power supply described above may be composed of a known secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery or a lead storage battery.
In addition, although the cleaning apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes the liquid storage tank 60 and the waste liquid tank 70 to alleviate restrictions on the installation location, the cleaning apparatus 100 is not limited to this configuration and can be directly connected to a known water supply or drainage path, for example. It may be in a certain form.

In addition, the discharge mode of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 is not limited to the above-described mode. microbubble water, or ultrasonic water via an ultrasonic wave generator that can be driven by the power supply described above) may be used.

<<Second embodiment>>
Next, a beverage container cleaning apparatus 110 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the cleaning apparatus 100 in the first embodiment described above, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

First, in the beverage container cleaning apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, a pump mechanism (diaphragm pump) is used as a mechanism for sending the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid discharge section 41. The main feature is that a pump 58) is used. In other words, as the water suction pump 55 applicable to the present invention, not only the diaphragm type pump but also any known air driven pump that can be driven by compressed air including the cylinder type driven pump 58 described in this embodiment can be applied. .

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the beverage container cleaning device 110 of the present embodiment includes a cylinder-type drive pump 58 instead of the diaphragm-type pump in the configuration described in the cleaning device 100 of the first embodiment. It is
The cylinder-type drive pump 58 has at least a cylinder tube 58a, a piston rod 58b, a biasing spring 58c, and a positioning stopper 58d. Further, the inside of the cylinder tube 58 a is connected to the cleaning liquid channel 57 , and the cleaning liquid can be received from the liquid storage tank 60 via the cleaning liquid channel 57 and sent to the cleaning mechanism 40 .

The cleaning fluid flow path 57 between the cleaning mechanism 40 and the cylinder tube 58a is provided with a check valve _Vr2 that prevents the cleaning fluid flowing through the cleaning fluid flow path 57 from flowing back into the cylinder tube 58a. . A check valve Vr ₃ is provided in the cleaning liquid flow path 57 between the liquid storage tank 60 and the cylinder tube 58 a to prevent the cleaning liquid flowing through the cleaning liquid flow path 57 from flowing back into the liquid storage tank 60 . ing.

A second air flow path 56B branched from the bypass starting point BP1 is connected to a space in the cylinder tube 58a on the side of the piston rod 58b.
One end of the piston rod 58b has a known cylinder head (not shown) and is configured to be movable within the cylinder tube 58a. On the other hand, as can be understood from the figure, a biasing spring 58c is provided between the other end of the piston rod 58b and the cylinder tube 58a so as to push the other end of the piston rod 58b toward the positioning stopper 58d. urges the other end of the piston rod 58b.

In the cleaning device 110 configured as described above, for example, as an initial setting at the start of operation, the cylinder tube 58a is filled with the cleaning liquid (that is, the other end of the piston rod 58b is in contact with the positioning stopper 58d). It is said that
Part of the compressed air generated by the compressor 52 branches from the bypass starting point BP1 and is supplied to the space on the piston rod 58b side in the cylinder tube 58a.

Then, one end of the piston rod 58b is moved by the action of the compressed air so as to push out the washing liquid in the cylinder tube 58a against the biasing force of the biasing spring 58c. As a result, the cleaning liquid in the cylinder tube 58 a is sent to the cleaning mechanism 40 through the cleaning liquid flow path 57 . Further, after the cleaning liquid in the cylinder tube 58a is fed, the other end of the piston rod 58b moves toward the positioning stopper 58d due to the restoring force of the biasing spring 58c.

In this embodiment, compressed air continues to be supplied to the space on the piston rod 58b side in the cylinder tube 58a. , moves again so as to push out the washing liquid in the cylinder tube 58a against the biasing force of the biasing spring 58c.

As described above, in this embodiment, one end of the piston rod 58b is moved by the action of the compressed air so as to push out the washing liquid in the cylinder tube 58a, and the other end of the piston rod 58b is moved by the action of the restoring force of the urging spring 58c. moves toward the positioning stopper 58d during the supply of the compressed air generated by the compressor 52 is repeated.

As a result, the cleaning liquid is intermittently supplied from the liquid storage tank 60 to the cleaning mechanism 40 via the cylinder type drive pump 58 . Also in the cleaning device 110 in the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the above-described first embodiment.
In the above-described first and second embodiments, the reciprocating pump is used to intermittently suck up the cleaning water from the liquid storage tank 60. However, other known air-driven pumps may be used to continuously store the cleaning water. A configuration may be adopted in which the cleaning liquid is sucked up from the liquid tank 60 and sent to the cleaning liquid discharge section 41 .

<<Third Embodiment>>
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, a beverage container cleaning apparatus 120 according to a third embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the above-described first and second embodiments, as a mechanism for feeding the cleaning liquid from the liquid storage tank 60 to the cleaning mechanism 40, the compressor 52 connected to a known power source (commercial power source, secondary battery, etc.) generates An air driven pump using compressed air was applied. On the other hand, the beverage container washing apparatus 120 according to the present embodiment is mainly characterized in that it has a human-powered toggle mechanism drive pump 59 that does not require a power source or working fluid.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, a beverage container cleaning apparatus 120 of the present embodiment includes a toggle mechanism type driving pump 59 instead of the cylinder type driving pump 58 in the configuration described in the cleaning apparatus 110 of the second embodiment. is composed of
The toggle mechanism drive pump 59 has at least a toggle link 59a, a cylinder tube 59b, a piston rod 59c, a biasing spring 59d, and a connecting portion 59e connecting the toggle link 59a and the piston rod 59c. there is

Further, as in the second embodiment, the inside of the cylinder tube 59b and the cleaning liquid flow path 57 _are connected via check valves _Vr2 and Vr3, respectively. It is possible to receive the cleaning liquid and send it to the cleaning mechanism 40 .

In the toggle link 59a of the present embodiment, the first joint 59a ₁ (for example, a roller as shown in FIG. 10 is preferable) is installed so as to movably support the bottom surface of the mounting plate 12, and the second joint 59a ₂ is fixed to a wall surface such as a ceiling, and as described above, the _third joint 59a3 is connected to the other end of the piston rod 59c via the connecting portion 59e.
This allows the _first joint 59a1 to move downward together with the placing plate 12 when the user (drinker, etc.) lowers the placing table 10 vertically downward by a predetermined distance d. It has become.

In the cleaning device 120 configured as described above, the cleaning liquid is filled in the cylinder tube 59b (that is, the other end of the piston rod 59c is at the upper limit position in the vertical direction) as an initial setting at the start of operation. It is
When the user lowers the mounting table 10 via the beverage container 200, the movement of the _first joint 59a1 is boosted as the mounting plate 12 is lowered, and the _third joint 59a3 moves to the position of the piston rod 59c. Move to push the end vertically downward.

Then, one end of the piston rod 59c moves against the biasing force of the biasing spring 59d by the moving action of the _third joint 59a3, which is boosted, so as to push out the washing liquid in the cylinder tube 59b. As a result, the cleaning liquid in the cylinder tube 59b is sent to the cleaning mechanism 40 through the cleaning liquid flow path 57. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, when the user separates the beverage container 200 from the mounting table 10, the mounting table 10 (mounting plate 12) moves upward via the elastic member 30, and the action of the elastic member 30 and the biasing spring 59d causes the mounting table 10 (mounting plate 12) to move upward. One end of the piston rod 59c moves vertically upward. Then, as one end of the piston rod 59c moves, new cleaning liquid is supplied from the liquid storage tank 60 into the cylinder tube 59b.

As a result, when the user places the beverage container 200 on the placement surface 11 and lowers the placement table 10, the washing liquid is washed from the liquid storage tank 60 through the toggle mechanism type drive pump 59 in conjunction with this descent. It will be fed to mechanism 40 .
Also in the cleaning device 120 of the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the above-described first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, since a power supply and compressed air are not required for feeding the cleaning liquid, the device cost can be greatly reduced while maintaining the cleaning function of the beverage container.

Each of the embodiments described above is an example embodying the gist of the present invention, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, known structures and techniques may be appropriately added and modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention can be used, for example, to manufacture a cleaning device that can efficiently clean containers with foreign substances such as leftover drinks in small shops or homes with a simple configuration.

Reference Signs List

100, 110, 120 cleaning device 10 mounting table 20 housing 30 elastic member 40 cleaning mechanism 50 control means 60 liquid storage tank 70 waste liquid tank

Claims

A container cleaning apparatus for removing foreign matter adhering to the inner surfaces of a bottom portion and a peripheral wall portion of a cylindrical container having a bottom portion and a peripheral wall portion,
a mounting table that is movable in a mounting direction of the container and has a mounting surface that is formed with an opening that can face the bottom portion when the container is mounted and that contacts the edge of the opening of the peripheral wall portion; ,
a housing that supports the mounting table so as to be movable in the mounting direction;
an elastic member mounted on the housing and biasing the mounting table along the mounting direction;
a cleaning mechanism mounted on the housing, at least a part of which protrudes in the opening, and sprays a cleaning liquid onto the inner surfaces of the bottom and the peripheral wall;
A cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the inner surfaces of the bottom and the peripheral wall via the cleaning mechanism based on the movement of the mounting table by a predetermined distance while the opening edge of the container is mounted on the mounting surface. a control means for
A container cleaning device comprising:
further comprising a liquid storage tank mounted on the housing and capable of storing the cleaning liquid;
The control means includes an air tank capable of storing compressed air, a compressor that generates the compressed air, and a water suction pump that sucks up the cleaning liquid using the compressed air,
By sucking up the cleaning liquid from the liquid storage tank with the water suction pump using the compressed air, the cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the inner surfaces of the bottom and the peripheral wall through the cleaning mechanism.
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 .
A mixed fluid in which the compressed air is mixed with the cleaning liquid is jetted as the cleaning liquid to the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the cleaning mechanism.
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 2 .
The cleaning mechanism is
a cleaning liquid ejection unit configured to eject the cleaning liquid;
and a compressed air discharge part from which a part of the compressed air is discharged,
The cleaning liquid adhering to at least one of the inner surface of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion is removed by the compressed air discharged through the compressed air discharge portion.
The container cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The control means is
A first timer for stopping the supply of the compressed air used to suck up the cleaning liquid, and a second timer for stopping the supply of the compressed air discharged toward the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the compressed air discharge portion. 2 timers and,
After the supply of the cleaning liquid to the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion is stopped via the first timer, compressed air is discharged toward the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion via the second timer. the supply of
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 4.
The compressed air discharge section is configured by an air nozzle arranged around the cleaning liquid discharge section and having a discharge port for the compressed air directed toward the inner surface of the peripheral wall section,
The cleaning liquid ejection unit is configured by a cleaning liquid nozzle arranged so as to be higher than the air nozzle from the mounting surface and ejecting the cleaning liquid,
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.
The discharge port of the air nozzle is provided obliquely upward with respect to the installation surface of the air nozzle so that the compressed air forms a spiral flow along the inner surface of the peripheral wall to the bottom.
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 .
The cleaning liquid nozzle is a rotary nozzle having a first ejection port for ejecting the cleaning liquid toward the bottom portion and a second ejection port for ejecting the cleaning liquid along the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion.
The container cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 or 7.
The cleaning mechanism further includes a cleaning liquid recovery section for recovering the cleaning liquid containing foreign matter after being sprayed onto the inner surfaces of the bottom portion and the peripheral wall portion,
a waste liquid tank mounted on the housing and capable of storing the cleaning liquid containing the foreign matter recovered by the cleaning liquid recovery unit;
The container cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8.
An installation opening for installing the mounting table is formed in the upper part of the housing,
The installation opening is provided with a detachable water guide frame wall that guides water to the mounting surface without scattering the cleaning liquid around the housing.
The container cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The mounting surface is funnel-shaped from the peripheral edge toward the opening so that the opening is at the bottom,
The container cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10.