JP4832218B2 - Dry cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dry cleaning apparatus for cleaning clothes and the like using a solvent such as a petroleum-based solvent or a silicone-based solvent, and more particularly to a technique for purifying a solvent used for cleaning.

  In dry cleaning devices, petroleum solvents and silicone solvents are used for washing, and these solvents are repeatedly used while being purified. Foreign matter such as lint and dust mixed in the solvent during cleaning and dirt such as sebum are removed by the button trap strainer and filter provided in the solvent flow path, but very fine dirt passes through the filter eyes. When they return to the solvent tank, they settle on the bottom of the tank. The settled dirt accumulates and becomes sludge (sludge), which may give off a strange odor or contaminate the clothes to be cleaned. In addition, sludge often contains moisture, which contributes to promoting corrosion of a solvent tank that is generally made of steel plate. As a result, the solvent tank may be pierced and repaired or replaced, which would be very expensive.

  Conventionally, a dry cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is known as a means for preventing sludge accumulation in a solvent tank. In the dry cleaning apparatus disclosed in this document, the solvent flow path in the solvent tank is intentionally narrowed to increase the flow rate of the solvent, thereby making it difficult for dirt to accumulate, or in the solvent stored in the solvent tank. Air is blown into the air, thereby agitating the solvent to diffuse the dirt.

  However, in such a conventional configuration, the internal structure of the solvent tank becomes complicated and expensive parts such as a compressor are required, so that a significant increase in cost is inevitable. In addition, if the flow path inside the solvent tank is narrowed, there is an adverse effect that cleaning becomes difficult. Therefore, there is a demand for a dry cleaning apparatus that can prevent the accumulation of dirt in the solvent tank with a simpler configuration and at a lower cost.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-15494

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to effectively remove dirt while preventing the accumulation of dirt in the solvent tank with a simple structure and without significant increase in cost. Another object of the present invention is to provide a dry cleaning apparatus that can be removed to purify the solvent.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a solvent tank for collecting and storing a solvent used for cleaning, a suction line for sucking the solvent from the solvent tank, and a solvent in the solvent tank. A solvent circulation channel including a return return line as a part, a pump provided in the solvent circulation channel, a filter provided in the solvent circulation channel and configured to remove dirt mixed in the solvent, In a dry cleaning apparatus comprising:
In order to generate horizontal vortex of the solvent stored in the solvent tank by solvent discharged into the solvent tank through the return line,
The solvent tank is formed in a circular arc shape on the inner side wall surface in a top view,
The outlet opening at the outlet end of the return pipe is oriented horizontally at a position near the inner wall surface of the solvent tank and near the inner bottom surface, and the discharge direction of the solvent discharged from the opening is the inner side of the solvent tank. It is characterized by being arranged in one direction along the side wall surface .

When the solvent by the solvent discharged through the return line is stored in the solvent tank is vortical flow is caused, thereby spreading wound up dirt that precipitates in the inner bottom portion of the solvent tank. This makes it difficult for dirt to accumulate on the inner bottom of the solvent tank.

In particular, in the present invention, the outflow opening at the outlet side end of the return pipe is oriented horizontally in a position close to the inner bottom surface of the solvent tank, so that when the pump is operated and the solvent is circulated and supplied to the solvent circulation path, The solvent is discharged in a substantially horizontal direction from the outflow opening at the outlet side end of the return pipe immersed in the solvent in the solvent tank. Since the discharge direction is a direction along the side wall surface of the solvent tank, the solvent in the solvent tank generates a vortex flow in a substantially horizontal plane, so that the dirt deposited on the inner bottom of the solvent tank is rolled up. Diffuse. This makes it difficult for dirt to accumulate on the inner bottom of the solvent tank.

In the present invention, since the corner of the inner wall surface of the solvent tank is formed in an arc shape when viewed from above, the flow of the solvent formed in the solvent tank by the solvent discharged from the outflow opening at the outlet side end of the conduit is reduced. It flows smoothly without losing momentum at the corner of the solvent tank. Therefore, a vortex flow having a large flow rate is easily formed, which is effective for diffusion of dirt in the solvent.

  Further, when a large vortex is formed in the solvent in the solvent tank, the diffusion of dirt is small because the flow velocity is small near the center of the vortex. Therefore, the inlet opening at the inlet side end of the suction pipe may be configured to extend to the vicinity of the inner bottom surface at a position where the central portion of the solvent tank is removed. According to this configuration, the diffused dirt can be sucked up together with the solvent and sent to the filter, and the collection of dirt by the filter can be promoted.

  For the above reasons, dirt is likely to accumulate near the center of the solvent tank. Therefore, in order to avoid the accumulation of dirt in the vicinity of the center, a second return pipe is provided at the downstream side of the filter in the solvent circulation flow path so as to branch from the return pipe. The outlet opening at the outlet side end of the pipe line may be arranged to extend to the vicinity of the inner bottom surface at the position of the center of the solvent tank.

  In this configuration, the solvent accumulated in the vicinity of the center of the inner bottom of the solvent tank can be rolled up and diffused by discharging the solvent from the outlet opening at the outlet end of the second return pipe.

  Further, by providing a cylindrical shield standing from the inner bottom surface in the center of the solvent tank, it is possible to avoid providing a space where dirt is accumulated near the center.

  As described above, the dirt diffused in the solvent is removed by the filter. However, when the filter is clogged, the solvent discharged from the solvent tank loses momentum even if the pump discharge pressure is the same. Difficult to diffuse. In such a case, by reducing the amount of the solvent stored in the solvent tank, dirt can be caught and diffused in the solvent tank even if the momentum of the solvent discharged from the outlet opening of the return pipe is relatively weak. .

  Therefore, as one aspect of the dry cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, a liquid supply channel that supplies a cleaning chamber for cleaning the solvent stored in the solvent tank, and the solvent tank when purifying the solvent. And an operation control unit that circulates the solvent in the solvent circulation channel in a state where a part of the solvent stored therein is transferred to the cleaning chamber through the liquid supply channel.

  Specifically, for example, when a part of the solvent is moved to the cleaning chamber and washing of the clothes is performed in the cleaning chamber, the solvent is circulated through the solvent circulation channel to purify the solvent. it can.

  According to the dry cleaning device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent sludge from accumulating in the solvent tank and effectively remove it. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the off-flavor by the decay of sludge and the back contamination of the laundry can be avoided. Moreover, the trouble of cleaning for removing sludge can be reduced, and the period during which the apparatus is stopped for cleaning can be shortened. Moreover, corrosion of the solvent tank can be prevented and the life of the solvent tank can be extended.

  An embodiment of a dry cleaning apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a solvent path in the dry cleaning apparatus of this embodiment.

  A cylindrical drum 2 having a large number of liquid passage holes around it is rotatably supported in the outer tub (corresponding to the cleaning chamber in the present invention) 1, and the solvent liquid stored in the outer tub 1 is supported. The position can be detected by the liquid level sensor 3. A drain valve 5 is provided in the drain line 4 connected to the bottom of the outer tub 1, and is connected to a solvent tank 7 through a button trap strainer 6. The button trap strainer 6 is a kind of filter for removing relatively large solid substances such as clothes buttons mixed in the discharged solvent.

  The suction pipe 8 inserted into the solvent tank 7 is connected to the suction port of the pump 10 via the check valve 9, and the discharge port of the pump 10 is connected to the inlet or outlet of the solvent filter 11. The solvent filter 11 is composed of a paper filter, an activated carbon filter, or the like, and removes impurities such as fine dust mixed in the solvent and various dirt components. A filter drain pipe 12 branched from between the pump 10 and the solvent filter 11 is connected to the button trap strainer 6 through a filter drain valve 13. The outlet of the solvent filter 11 is branched into a bypass pipe line 17 in which a solvent cooling switching valve 19 is inserted in the middle and a solvent cooling pipe line 18 passing through the solvent cooling device 20 in the middle. It joins and is connected to the outer tub 1 as a liquid supply line 21 in which a liquid supply valve 22 is inserted.

  A tank circulation valve 24 is provided in the first return pipe 23 branched from the front of the liquid supply valve 22, and an outlet side end portion of the first return pipe 23 is inserted deeply into the solvent tank 7. A second return pipe 25 is branched from between the tank circulation valve 24 and the solvent tank 7 on the first return pipe 23, and an outlet side end portion of the second return pipe 25 is connected via a return switching valve 26. Is also inserted deeply into the solvent tank 7.

  An air vent line 16 is connected between the upper part of the solvent filter 11 and the upper part of the button trap strainer 6, and an air vent valve 15 and a pressure gauge 14 are provided in the air vent line 16. The outer tub 1 is connected to one end of a soap charging pipe 28 provided with a soap charging device 29 in the middle, and the other end is connected to a soap container 27.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system centering on the components appearing in FIG. A control unit 30 including a CPU and the like is placed at the center of control, and an input signal corresponding to an operation by the user from the operation unit 32 is input to the control unit 30 from the liquid level sensor 3 to the liquid of the solvent in the outer tank 1. A liquid level detection signal indicating the position is input from the soap concentration sensor 35 as a concentration detection signal indicating the soap concentration in the solvent. In addition, the control unit 30 outputs a display control signal to the display unit 33 in order to display a display according to an operation by the operation unit 32 and a display of the remaining time of operation. Further, the control unit 30 turns on / off the pump 10, the supply valve 22, the drain valve 5, the tank circulation valve 24, and the solvent cooling switching valve 19 through the load driving unit 31 according to a predetermined operation program. The operation and the soap charging operation by the soap charging device 29 are controlled, and the rotation of the drum motor 34 that rotationally drives the drum 2 is controlled. The solvent cooling device 20 may be manually turned on / off by the user, but may be controlled by the control unit 30.

  In the dry cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, the following liquid supply flow path is formed when washing the laundry stored in the drum 2. That is, first, in order to supply the solvent stored in the solvent tank 7 into the outer tank 1, the drain valve 5 and the tank circulation valve 24 are closed, the liquid supply valve 22 is opened, and the pump 10 is operated. The solvent cooling switching valve 19 is appropriately turned on / off according to the temperature of the solvent detected by a temperature sensor (not shown), so that a part of the solvent flows through the solvent cooling line 18 in order to cool the solvent. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the solvent stored in the solvent tank 7 is sucked up by the pump 10 through the suction line 8, and the solvent filter 11, the bypass line 17 or the solvent cooling line 18, and the liquid supply line. 21 is supplied into the outer tub 1 through 21. Dirt and fine foreign matters mixed in the solvent when passing through the solvent filter 11 are removed.

  Until the liquid level sensor 3 detects that a predetermined amount of solvent has accumulated in the outer tank 1, the solvent is supplied from the solvent tank 7 into the outer tank 1, and the solvent at a predetermined liquid level is stored in the outer tank 1. In this state, the drum 2 is rotated by the drum motor 34 to wash the laundry. In addition to the batch cleaning in which the drain valve 5 is closed and the same solvent is stored in the outer tank 1 as described above, the drain valve 5 is opened and the supply of the solvent through the liquid supply channel is continued. It is also possible to perform cleaning.

  During the cleaning operation, the soap is introduced by the soap dispenser 29 so as to obtain an appropriate soap concentration in order to improve the washing performance and prevent charging. A relatively large foreign matter such as lint or dust from the laundry during the washing operation is generated when the drain valve 5 is opened and the solvent in the outer tub 1 returns to the solvent tank 7 through the drainage conduit 4. , Collected by the button trap strainer 6.

  On the other hand, when purifying the solvent stored in the solvent tank 7, the following solvent circulation channel is formed. That is, the liquid supply valve 22 is closed, the tank circulation valve 24 is opened, and the pump 10 is operated. The solvent cooling switching valve 19 is appropriately turned on / off according to the temperature of the solvent detected by a temperature sensor (not shown), so that a part of the solvent flows through the solvent cooling line 18 in order to cool the solvent. The return switching valve 26 that is manually opened and closed is normally closed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the solvent stored in the solvent tank 7 is sucked up by the pump 10 through the suction pipe 8, and the solvent filter 11, the bypass pipe 17 or the solvent cooling pipe 18, and the first return pipe. It returns to the solvent tank 7 through the path 23. Dirt and fine foreign matters mixed in the solvent when passing through the solvent filter 11 are removed, and the solvent temperature is appropriately controlled by being cooled by the solvent cooling device 20.

  Next, the structure of the solvent tank 7 and the mounting structure of each pipe line, which are features of the dry cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 3A and 3B are views showing the appearance and the inside of the solvent tank 7, wherein FIG. 3A is a top view, FIG. 3B is a right side view, and FIG. 3C is a front view.

  The main body of the solvent tank 7 has a flat cubic shape, but when viewed from above, the corners of the four corners formed by the inner wall surfaces 7a of the four sides are arc-shaped inner wall surfaces 7b having appropriate radii. The inner bottom wall surface 7c has a slightly higher rear side and is inclined obliquely downward toward the front. In addition, a removable lid 7f is provided on the front surface. If it is necessary to clean the inside of the solvent tank 7, the lid 7f is removed and a hand or instrument is inserted through the opening. And do the cleaning.

  The above-mentioned outlet side end of the first return pipe 23 is inserted in a substantially vertical direction at a position close to the rear wall surface of the solvent tank 7, and its end portion is extended to the vicinity of the inner bottom wall surface 7 c, and is further substantially perpendicular (L-shaped It is bent so that the outflow opening is oriented in the horizontal direction. Here, the end portion 23a bent in the L-shape is substantially parallel to the nearest inner wall surface 7a, but it is not necessarily parallel and may be appropriately directed to the inner peripheral side or the outer peripheral side.

  On the other hand, the outlet side end portion of the second return pipe 25 is inserted in a substantially vertical direction at the substantially center of the solvent tank 7, and its end portion extends to the vicinity of the inner bottom wall surface 7c, and the outflow opening is directed downward. Yes. Further, the suction pipe 8 is inserted in a substantially vertical direction at a position slightly away from the mounting position of the second return pipe 25 (that is, not at the center) and away from the inner wall surface 7a and the arc-shaped inner wall surface 7b. The end portion extends to the vicinity of the inner bottom wall surface 7c similarly to the second return pipe 25, and the inflow opening is directed downward.

  Due to the characteristic structure, the following effects are brought about at the time of purification of the solvent as described above. That is, a case is considered in which the solvent in the solvent tank 7 is sucked up through the suction pipe line 8 by the suction / discharge operation of the pump 10 and returns to the solvent tank 7 through the first return pipe line 23 after passing through the solvent filter 7. . The end portion 23a of the first return pipe 23 is immersed in the solvent, and the solvent pumped by the pump 10 is expelled vigorously from the outflow opening of the end portion 23a directed in the substantially horizontal direction. Since the corner of the inner wall surface of the solvent tank 7 has the arc shape as described above, the solvent discharged into the solvent tank 7 changes its direction without receiving much resistance at the corner. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a large vortex-like solvent flow is formed in the solvent tank 7 as viewed from above. By this flow, various kinds of dirt in the solvent are wound up and diffused, and are difficult to deposit on the inner bottom wall surface 7c.

  When the dirt wound up and diffused into the solvent reaches the vicinity of the inflow opening of the suction pipe 8 as described above, it is sucked up together with the solvent and sent to the solvent filter 11. And when passing the solvent filter 11, it is collected by the filter member. Although very fine dirt that is smaller than the eyes of the filter member returns to the solvent tank 7, usually, such dirt tends to aggregate and become larger in the solvent tank 7. Even fine dirt that cannot be collected is collected by the solvent filter 11 while the purification is repeated. As a result, it is possible to prevent dirt from accumulating in the solvent tank 7 and increase the cleanliness of the solvent.

  However, since the flow of the vortex solvent in the solvent tank 7 as described above has a low flow velocity near the center, dirt that has not been removed gradually accumulates near the center. Therefore, when purifying the solvent, the return switching valve 26 is opened periodically or irregularly so that a part of the solvent is discharged into the solvent tank 7 through the second return pipe 25. Since the outflow opening of the second return pipe 25 is opened at the approximate center of the solvent tank 7 downward, that is, toward the inner bottom wall surface 7c, the discharged solvent rolls up dirt accumulated near the center and surrounds it. Spread. Thereby, it is possible to avoid the accumulation of dirt near the center of the solvent tank 7.

  Instead of providing the second return pipe 25, a cylindrical partition plate 7d is erected at the center of the solvent tank 7 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the solvent is placed inside the partition plate 7d. You may not enter. That is, the above problem can be avoided without providing the second return pipe 25 by eliminating the space where dirt is accumulated by the partition plate 7d.

  By the way, when the momentum of the solvent discharged from the end portion 23a of the first return pipe 23 into the solvent tank 7 is strong, a sufficiently strong spiral flow even when a large amount of solvent is stored in the solvent tank 7. Can be formed. However, when clogging of the filter member of the solvent filter 11 progresses and the flow path resistance increases, even if the discharge pressure of the pump 10 is the same, the solvent is discharged from the end portion 23a of the first return pipe 23 into the solvent tank 7. The momentum of the solvent is weakened. In that case, if a large amount of solvent is stored in the solvent tank 7, the flow rate of the vortex flow becomes slow, and the effect of winding up dirt is reduced.

  In such a case, when purifying the solvent, a part of the solvent in the solvent tank 7 is first pumped into the outer tank 1 to reduce the amount of the solvent in the solvent tank 7, and then the purification operation as described above is performed. Execute. That is, under the control of the control unit 30, a part of the solvent in the solvent tank 7 is removed in the same manner as the supply of the solvent to the outer tank 1 during the cleaning operation (that is, by forming a liquid supply channel). It moves in the tank 1 (refer FIG. 6). The amount of the solvent remaining in the solvent tank 7 can be arbitrarily determined by the amount of the solvent stored in the outer tank 1. Then, after reducing the amount of the solvent stored in the solvent tank 7, a circulating flow path for the solvent in the solvent tank 7 is formed as described above, and passes through the solvent filter 11 by the operation of the pump 10. Circulate the solvent.

  When the solvent is discharged into the solvent tank 7 from the end portion 23a of the first return pipe 23, if the amount of the solvent in the solvent tank 7 is small (the liquid level is low), the flow resistance is reduced accordingly, so the flow rate is Get faster. As a result, even if the discharge pressure of the solvent from the end portion 23a of the first return pipe 23 is small, the dirt can be sufficiently wound and diffused in the solvent tank 7 to prevent the dirt from being accumulated and the solvent. The removal of dirt through the filter 11 can also proceed.

  The solvent purification operation in the state where the solvent is pumped into the outer tub 1 as described above is a batch cleaning operation in which the laundry stored in the drum 2 is washed with the solvent stored in the outer tub 1. Can be done while running.

  Of course, regardless of the condition of the filter clogging in the solvent filter 11, a part of the solvent may be pumped up to the outer tank 1 at the time of the solvent purification operation, or the solvent may be put into the outer tank 1. It may be possible for the user to select whether or not to pump up the solvent, and further, means for determining the degree of clogging of the solvent filter 11 is provided, and the solvent is pumped into the outer tub 1 according to the determination result. It may be automatically selected whether or not.

  In the above embodiment, the return switching valve 26 is manually opened and closed by the user. However, the return switching valve 26 is a valve that can be automatically opened and closed under the control of the control unit 30, and is periodically or irregularly. Alternatively, the valve may be opened to prevent the accumulation of dirt near the center in the solvent tank 7.

  It should be noted that the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and it is obvious that even if changes, modifications, and additions are made as appropriate within the scope of the present invention, they are included in the claims of the present application.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a solvent path in a dry cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of a control system centering on components appearing in FIG. 1 in the dry cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the solvent tank in the dry cleaning apparatus of a present Example, and the mode of an inside, (a) is a top view, (b) is a right view, (c) is a front view. The schematic diagram which shows the state of the flow of the solvent in a solvent tank. The flow-path block diagram which shows the flow of the solvent at the time of the liquid supply to the outer tank in the dry cleaning apparatus of a present Example. The flow-path block diagram which shows the flow of the solvent at the time of solvent purification in the dry cleaning apparatus of a present Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outer tank 2 ... Drum 3 ... Liquid level sensor 4 ... Drain pipe 5 ... Drain valve 6 ... Button trap strainer 7 ... Solvent tank 7a ... Inner wall surface 7b ... Arc-shaped inner wall surface 7c ... Inner bottom wall surface 8 ... Suction pipe Path 9 ... Check valve 10 ... Pump 11 ... Solvent filter 12 ... Filter drain line 13 ... Filter drain valve 14 ... Pressure gauge 15 ... Filter air vent valve 16 ... Air vent line 17 ... Bypass line 18 ... Solvent cooling pipe Path 19 ... Solvent cooling switching valve 20 ... Solvent cooling device 21 ... Supply line 22 ... Supply valve 23 ... First return line 24 ... Tank circulation valve 25 ... Second return line 26 ... Return switching valve 27 ... Soap Container 28 ... Soap input pipe 29 ... Soap input device 30 ... Control section 31 ... Load drive section 32 ... Operation section 33 ... Display section 34 ... Drum motor 35 ... Soap concentration sensor

Claims (5)

A solvent tank for collecting and storing the solvent used for cleaning, a suction line for sucking the solvent from the solvent tank, and a solvent circulation path including a return line for returning the solvent to the solvent tank; A dry cleaning apparatus comprising: a pump provided in the solvent circulation channel; and a filter provided in the solvent circulation channel to remove dirt mixed in the solvent.
In order to generate horizontal vortex of the solvent stored in the solvent tank by solvent discharged into the solvent tank through the return line,
The solvent tank is formed in a circular arc shape on the inner side wall surface in a top view,
The outlet opening at the outlet end of the return pipe is oriented horizontally at a position near the inner wall surface of the solvent tank and near the inner bottom surface, and the discharge direction of the solvent discharged from the opening is the inner side of the solvent tank. A dry cleaning device, wherein the dry cleaning device is arranged in one direction along the side wall surface . Inlet opening of the inlet side end of the suction conduit, a dry according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged so as to extend to the inner bottom nearby position removing the central portion of the solvent tank Cleaning device. In order to diffuse dirt accumulated near the center of the solvent tank due to the influence of the vortex in the horizontal direction, the second return pipe is branched from the return pipe on the downstream side of the filter in the solvent circulation path. it features a discharge opening of the outlet side end of the second return conduit, claim, characterized in that it is arranged so as to extend to the inner bottom surface near at the position of the central portion of the solvent tank 2 dry cleaning device according to. 3. The dry cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a cylindrical shield is provided at the center of the solvent tank so as to stand from the inner bottom surface thereof. A liquid supply channel that supplies a cleaning chamber for cleaning the solvent stored in the solvent tank, and a part of the solvent stored in the solvent tank when the solvent is purified. dry cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that and a driving control means for circulating the solvent to the solvent circulation passage in a state in which transferred to the cleaning chamber through the flow path.

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