JP7126151B2 - shoe cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a shoe washing device.

In the shoe washing machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a rotating shaft extending vertically is rotatably provided at the center of the bottom of an inner tub disposed within an outer tub. A circular yoke, a so-called pulsator, is integrally provided at the bottom of the rotating shaft. A main brush that laterally protrudes to near the inner surface of the inner tank is provided on the peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and an auxiliary brush that protrudes upward is provided on the yoke. When the inner tub is supplied with water and the shoes are placed between the rotating shaft and the inner surface of the inner tub and the rotating shaft is reversed, the shoes are washed by being rubbed by the main brush and the auxiliary brush.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-120956

In a shoe washing apparatus for washing shoes as in Patent Document 1, relatively large foreign matter such as gravel may be removed from the shoes by washing. If these foreign substances come into the user's field of vision in the shoe cleaning apparatus after cleaning, the appearance is poor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe cleaning apparatus capable of improving the appearance of foreign substances removed from shoes.

The present invention comprises a storage chamber which is closed from below by a bottom portion formed with a concave portion which is recessed downward and has an outflow port at the bottom thereof, for storing shoes, and an injection port for injecting cleaning liquid to the shoes in the storage chamber. a filter for capturing foreign matter from the cleaning liquid flowing out of the storage chamber from the outflow port; and a filter cover disposed directly above the filter with a gap therebetween, and disposed in the recess. and a filter unit.

Further, according to the present invention, the filter unit further includes a holder for holding the filter, and the filter cover is rotatably supported by the holder.

Further, according to the present invention, one of the filter cover and the holder is provided with a contact portion that contacts the other of the filter cover and the holder in order to secure the gap. is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the other of the filter cover and the holder.

Also, the present invention is characterized by further including a second filter for capturing foreign matter from the cleaning liquid that has passed through the filter.

According to the present invention, in the shoe washing apparatus, the shoes in the storage chamber are washed with the washing liquid jetted from the jet nozzle. The cleaning liquid flows out of the storage chamber from an outlet at the bottom of the recess formed in the bottom surface blocking the storage chamber from below.
In the shoe washing apparatus, a filter in a filter unit arranged in a recess in the bottom of the storage chamber captures foreign matter from the cleaning liquid flowing out of the storage chamber through the outflow port. Since the filter unit has a filter cover arranged directly above the filter with a gap therebetween, foreign matter caught by the filter and present in the gap on the filter is hidden by the filter cover. Therefore, foreign matter on the filter does not easily enter the field of vision of the user who accesses the storage chamber in order to take out the shoes in the shoe cleaning apparatus after cleaning. Therefore, it is possible to improve the appearance of the foreign matter removed from the shoe.

Further, according to the present invention, the filter cover is rotatably supported by the holder that holds the filter, so that when the filter cover is rotated and separated from the filter, the filter is exposed. In this state, the filter can be maintained by removing foreign matter on the filter.

Further, according to the present invention, a gap for receiving foreign matter captured by the filter can be secured between the filter cover and the holder by the abutting portion. Moreover, in the state in which this gap is secured, the filter cover and the holder can be locked by the engaging portion so as not to move relative to each other.

In addition, according to the present invention, foreign matter that is finer enough to pass through the filter can be captured by the second filter.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shoe cleaning device according to one embodiment of the invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 5B is a bottom view of the shoe cleaning device. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG of FIG. 5B. Figure 5D is a rear view of the shoe cleaning device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a filter unit in the shoe washing device. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the filter unit in an open state.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shoe cleaning device 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. 1 is referred to as the left-right direction X of the shoe washing apparatus 1, the left-right direction in FIG. is referred to as the vertical direction Z. The horizontal direction X includes a left side X1 corresponding to the upper side of FIG. 1 and a right side X2 corresponding to the lower side of FIG. The front-rear direction Y includes a front side Y1 corresponding to the left side in FIG. 1 and a rear side Y2 corresponding to the right side in FIG. The vertical direction Z includes an upper side Z1 corresponding to the near side in the plane of FIG. 1 and a lower side Z2 corresponding to the far side in the plane of FIG. The lateral direction X and the longitudinal direction Y are included in the lateral direction, specifically the horizontal direction, and the vertical direction Z is the same as the vertical direction, in other words, the height direction of the shoe washing apparatus 1 .

The shoe washing device 1 is built into a hollow base (not shown) on which, for example, a washing machine for clothes is placed. A shoe washing device 1 includes a box-shaped frame 2 forming its outer shell and a main body 3 . The frame 2 includes at least a top plate 2A, a left side plate 2B and a right side plate 2C made of metal, for example, and is fixed to the base (not shown) described above with fastening members such as bolts. The top plate 2A is installed between the upper edges of the left side plate 2B and the right side plate 2C. The frame 2 has an internal space 2D that is closed from the upper side Z1 by the top plate 2A and is closed from both sides in the horizontal direction X by the left side plate 2B and the right side plate 2C. The internal space 2D is open at least to the front side Y1.

The main body 3 includes a door 4 and a washing tank 5, and is supported by the frame 2 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The main body 3 in FIG. 1 is in the housed position, and the washing tank 5 is housed in the internal space 2D of the frame 2 in the main body 3 in the housed position. The door 4 is formed in a plate-like shape having a plate thickness direction that coincides with the front-rear direction Y, and is arranged on the front side Y1 of the frame 2 . The door 4 is larger than the frame 2 in the left-right direction X, and both ends of the door 4 project outward from the frame 2 . An exhaust port 4A, a concave portion 4B, and an operating portion 4C are provided on the upper end surface of the door 4 in this order from the left side X1, for example. The exhaust port 4A communicates with the inside of the washing tank 5 via an exhaust duct (not shown) formed in the door 4, and the air in the washing tank 5 flows out of the shoe washing apparatus 1 from the exhaust port 4A. discharged outside. A user can grip the door 4 by putting a finger on the concave portion 4B and slide the main body 3 in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The operation unit 4C is composed of, for example, a plurality of buttons, and is operated by the user to operate the shoe washing device 1. FIG. The operation unit 4C may include, for example, a liquid crystal display unit.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 2. FIG. Mainly referring to FIG. 2, the cleaning tank 5 is a container made of resin or metal that is one size smaller than the frame 2, is arranged on the rear side Y2 of the door 4, and is fixed to the door 4. As shown in FIG. The washing tank 5 integrally has a front wall 6 , a rear wall 7 , a left wall 8 , a right wall 9 (see FIG. 3), and a bottom wall 10 . The front wall 6 and the rear wall 7 are formed in a plate shape having a plate thickness direction that substantially coincides with the front-rear direction Y, and are arranged opposite to each other with a space therebetween in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The left wall 8 and the right wall 9 are formed in a plate shape having a plate thickness direction that substantially coincides with the left-right direction X, and are arranged opposite to each other with a space therebetween in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. The bottom wall 10 is formed in a plate shape having a plate thickness direction that substantially coincides with the front-rear direction Y, and extends between the lower edges of the front wall 6 and the rear wall 7 and between the lower edges of the left wall 8 and the right wall 9 . erected.

In the washing tank 5, an internal space sandwiched in the front-back direction Y by the front wall 6 and the rear wall 7, sandwiched in the left-right direction X by the left wall 8 and the right wall 9, and closed from the bottom side Z2 by the bottom wall 10, It is called storage room 11 . An upper surface portion of the bottom wall 10 is a bottom surface portion 12 that closes the storage chamber 11 from the lower side Z2. The storage room 11 opens to the upper side Z1 through a doorway 13 bordered by the upper ends of the front wall 6, the rear wall 7, the left wall 8 and the right wall 9. As shown in FIG.

In connection with the doorway 13 , the frame 2 is provided with a lid 14 for opening and closing the doorway 13 . The lid 14 is formed in a plate-like shape having a size capable of covering the entrance 13 and is arranged directly below the top plate 2A of the frame 2 . The lid 14 is liftably supported by the frame 2 via a known lifting mechanism (not shown) using a cam or the like. When the main body 3 is in the housed position as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 14 is lowered to close the entrance 13. As shown in FIG. When the user grabs the door 4 and pulls it toward the front side Y1, the main body 3 is pulled out to a drawer position (not shown) where the washing tank 5 is located on the front side Y1 relative to the frame 2. When the main body 3 is pulled out from the storage position to the pull-out position, the lifting mechanism operates to lift the lid 14 away from the doorway 13 . As a result, the inlet/outlet 13 of the washing tank 5 of the main body 3 at the drawn-out position is opened and exposed to the upper side Z1. The lid 14 is lowered by operating the lifting mechanism in conjunction with the return of the main body 3 from the drawn-out position to the accommodated position. As a result, the doorway 13 is sealed by the lid 14 when the main body 3 returns to the accommodation position.

The main body 3 includes a partition member 15, a holding portion 16, a filter unit 17, a heater 18, an injection mechanism 19, an injection port 20, a protection portion 21, a duct 22, a blower portion 23, and a water supply passage 24. including. The partition member 15 is formed in a grid shape extending horizontally, for example, by resin or metal wires. By arranging the partition member 15 at a position biased toward the lower side Z2 from the center of the storage chamber 11 in the vertical direction Z, the storage chamber 11 is divided into the upper space 11A of the upper side Z1 from the partition member 15 and the partition member. 15 and the lower space 11B on the lower side Z2. The upper space 11A is large enough to accommodate a pair of shoes S to be cleaned by the shoe cleaning device 1 with sufficient margin. The lower space 11B is smaller in the vertical direction Z than the upper space 11A. In FIG. 2, a low-cut type shoe S1 in which the opening SH is close to the sole SZ as indicated by a broken line, and a high-cut type shoe S2 in which the opening SH is far from the sole SZ as indicated by a dashed line. Two types of shoes S are collectively illustrated.

A pair of holding portions 16 are provided for each pair of shoes S. As shown in FIG. The pair of holding portions 16 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction X in the upper space 11A. Each holding portion 16 integrally includes a root portion 16A, a tip portion 16B, and an intermediate portion 16C. The root portion 16A is fixed to the storage chamber 11, specifically to the rear wall 7 of the cleaning tank 5. As shown in FIG. The root portion 16A extends substantially horizontally toward the front side Y1 from a portion of the rear wall 7 adjacent to the partition member 15 from the upper side Z1. The tip portion 16B is disposed at a position higher than the root portion 16A, more specifically, substantially in the center of the upper space 11A in the front-rear direction Y and the vertical direction Z, and extends substantially horizontally along the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The intermediate portion 16C extends from the tip portion 16B toward the root portion 16A while being inclined toward the rear side Y2 and the bottom side Z2, and connects the root portion 16A and the tip portion 16B. The holding part 16 is configured in a frame shape by a wire rod.

In relation to the filter unit 17 and the heater 18, the bottom surface portion 12 of the storage chamber 11 includes a first bottom surface portion 12A forming substantially the right half of the bottom surface portion 12 and a second bottom surface portion 12A forming substantially the left half of the bottom surface portion 12. 12B are provided (see also FIG. 3). A concave portion 12C recessed downward Z2 is formed in almost the entire area of the first bottom surface portion 12A. The second bottom surface portion 12B extends from the upper end of the recess 12C to the left side X1 and is inclined downward toward the recess 12C (see FIG. 3). The inclination angle of the second bottom surface portion 12B with respect to the horizontal direction X is, for example, about 5 degrees. A bottom 12D of the recess 12C is positioned lower than the second bottom surface 12B. At the front end of the bottom 12D, a concave outlet 12E recessed downward and a housing recess 12F recessed downward Z2 from the lower end of the outlet 12E are formed. An opening 12G penetrating through the bottom wall 10 is formed in the bottom surface or side surface of the housing recess 12F (see also FIG. 5C described later). The opening 12G may be formed across the bottom and side surfaces of the housing recess 12F. The bottom 12D is provided with an inclined surface portion 12H arranged on the rear side Y2 of the outflow port 12E. The inclined surface portion 12H extends from the lower end of the rear wall 7 of the cleaning tank 5 toward the front side Y1 and gently descends toward the outflow port 12E. The inclination angle of the inclined surface portion 12H with respect to the front-rear direction Y is, for example, about 5 degrees. The recess 12C, the outlet 12E and the accommodation recess 12F are part of the lower space 11B.

The filter unit 17 is arranged in the outflow port 12E in the recess 12C of the first bottom surface portion 12A by being fitted in the accommodation recess 12F. The filter unit 17 has thin sheet-like filters 25 made of mesh or the like on the upper and lower sides. A filter 25 is positioned across the outlet 12E. As the heater 18, a vertically flat planar heater containing an electric heater or the like is used. The heater 18 is arranged in the recess 12C at a position further away from the outflow port 12E than the filter unit 17 toward the rear side Y2.

Injection mechanism 19 includes rotary nozzle 26 , side nozzle 27 , heel nozzle 28 and pump 29 . The rotating nozzle 26 has a tower nozzle 30 and a horizontal nozzle 31 and is arranged inside the storage chamber 11 . The tower nozzle 30 is arranged between the pair of holding portions 16 at substantially the center of the storage chamber 11 in plan view. The tower nozzle 30 is a tubular hollow body whose upper end is closed, and extends from the second bottom surface portion 12B of the storage chamber 11 through between the pair of holding portions 16 to the front of the entrance 13 of the storage chamber 11 on the upper side Z1. extend to Since the lower end of the tower nozzle 30 is supported by the bottom surface 12 , the rotating nozzle 26 as a whole can rotate around an imaginary vertical axis J passing through the center of the tower nozzle 30 . Referring to FIG. 3, hereinafter, the circumferential direction around the vertical axis J is called the circumferential direction T, and the radial direction around the vertical axis J is called the radial direction R. As shown in FIG. In the radial direction R, the side away from the vertical axis J is called the radial outer side R1, and the side closer to the vertical axis J is called the radial inner side R2. The horizontal nozzle 31 is a vertically flat hollow body projecting from the lower portion of the tower nozzle 30 to the radially outer side R1. A plurality of horizontal nozzles 31 are present and arranged in the lower space 11B of the storage chamber 11 so as to be rotationally symmetrical about the vertical axis J. As shown in FIG. There are two horizontal nozzles 31 in this embodiment, which are arranged in a straight line with the tower nozzle 30 interposed therebetween.

A pair of side nozzles 27 exist and are arranged in the cleaning tank 5 so as to sandwich the tower nozzle 30 and the pair of holding portions 16 from the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. Each side nozzle 27 is a hollow body that is flat in the left-right direction X and elongated in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. Of the pair of side nozzles 27, the side nozzle 27L on the left side X1 is fixed to the right surface of the left wall 8 of the cleaning tank 5, and the side nozzle 27R on the right side X2 is fixed to the left surface of the right wall 9 of the cleaning tank 5. . Approximately the front half of each side nozzle 27 overlaps the tip portion 16B and the middle portion 16C of each holding portion 16 in a side view in the left-right direction X (see FIG. 2).

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 3. FIG. A pair of heel nozzles 28 are arranged side by side on the front surface of the rear wall 7 of the washing tank 5 at a position higher than the base portion 16A of each holding portion 16 . The pair of heel nozzles 28 are located at the same positions in the left-right direction X as the pair of holding portions 16 . Each heel nozzle 28 is a hollow body extending in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. Of the pair of heel nozzles 28, the left end of the left X1 heel nozzle 28L is connected to the rear end of the side nozzle 27L, and the right end of the right X2 heel nozzle 28R is connected to the rear end of the side nozzle 27R. be done. The internal space of the heel nozzle 28 and the internal space of the side nozzle 27 connected to the heel nozzle 28 are in communication. The side nozzle 27 and the heel nozzle 28 on the same side in the left-right direction X may be separate parts that are combined together, or may be integrally formed as one part that is L-shaped in plan view. may

5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 4. FIG. 5B is a bottom view of the shoe cleaning device 1. FIG. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 5B. 5D is a rear view of the shoe cleaning device 1. FIG. As the pump 29, a centrifugal pump containing a rotating impeller (not shown) or the like can be employed. A pump 29 is fixed to the rear end of the bottom wall 10 of the washing tank 5 . The pump 29 and the opening 12G of the housing recess 12F in the bottom surface 12 of the housing chamber 11 are connected by a tubular first flow path 32 arranged on the bottom side Z2 of the bottom wall 10 (FIGS. 2 and 3). 5B and 5C). The pump 29 and the lower end of the tower nozzle 30 of the rotary nozzle 26 are connected by a tubular second channel 33 arranged on the lower side Z2 of the bottom wall 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 5B).

The pump 29 and the rear end of each side nozzle 27 are connected by a tubular third channel 34 and a tubular fourth channel 35 arranged on the rear side Y2 of the rear wall 7 of the cleaning tank 5 . Specifically, the joint pipe 36 provided at the rear end of the side nozzle 27L and the pump 29 are connected by the third flow path 34, and the joint pipe 36 and the rear end of the side nozzle 27R are connected to the fourth flow. They are connected by channels 35 (see FIGS. 5A and 5D). The joint pipe 36 includes a vertically extending circular inlet pipe portion 36A, a circular tubular first outlet pipe portion 36B (see FIG. 4) extending from the upper end of the inlet pipe portion 36A to the front side Y1, and the upper end of the inlet pipe portion 36A. It integrally has a circular tubular second outlet pipe portion 36C extending from the upper right side (upper left side in FIGS. 5A and 5D). The lower end portion of the inlet pipe portion 36A is connected to the upper end portion of the third flow path 34, the front end portion of the first outlet pipe portion 36B is connected to the rear end portion of the side nozzle 27L, and the upper end portion of the second outlet pipe portion 36C. is connected to the left end of the fourth channel 35 (the right end in FIGS. 5A and 5D). The first to fourth flow paths 32 to 35 and the joint pipe 36 are included in the injection mechanism 19 .

One end of a tubular drainage channel 37 is connected to the pump 29 . The pump 29 can suck water present in the first channel 32 and discharge it only to the second channel 33 and the third channel 34 or only to the drainage channel 37 . The other end of the drain channel 37 may join the drain channel of a washing machine (not shown) arranged on the upper side Z1 of the shoe washing device 1 .

2 to 4, the injection ports 20 include injection ports 20A provided in the tower nozzle 30 and each horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotary nozzle 26, side injection ports 20B provided in each side nozzle 27, heel jets 20C provided in each heel nozzle 28; A plurality of injection ports 20</b>A are provided in the upper end portion 30</b>A of the tower nozzle 30 and the upper surface portion of each horizontal nozzle 31 . The plurality of injection ports 20</b>A in the upper end portion 30</b>A are arranged at different positions in, for example, the circumferential direction T and the vertical direction Z, and communicate with the inside of the tower nozzle 30 . Referring to FIG. 4 , a plurality of injection ports 20A in each horizontal nozzle 31 are arranged in a row along the radial direction R and are in communication with the interior of the horizontal nozzle 31 . At least a portion of an injection port 20A' positioned at an end on the radially outer side R1 of the plurality of injection ports 20A of at least one horizontal nozzle 31 faces one side in the circumferential direction T.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a plurality of side injection ports 20B are present in each side nozzle 27 . These side injection ports 20B are provided on the right surface portion of the side nozzle 27L and the left surface portion of the side nozzle 27R. The plurality of side jetting ports 20B of each side nozzle 27 are arranged vertically in two vertical rows extending in the front-rear direction Y, and communicate with the inside of the side jetting port 20B. Of the two upper and lower rows, the row L1 of the upper side Z1 is composed of, for example, six side injection ports 20B arranged in the front-rear direction, and the row L2 of the lower side Z2 is constituted by, for example, two nozzles arranged in the lower side Z2 in the rear portion of the row L1. It is composed of two side injection ports 20B. Although these rows L1 and L2 are close to the horizontal direction, they are arranged so as to be inclined forward and upward. In each side nozzle 27, the portion where the rows L1 and L2 are arranged vertically is larger in the vertical direction Z than the portion where only the row L1 is arranged on the front side Y1 of this portion.

Referring to FIG. 4, one heel injection port 20C is provided at the right end of heel nozzle 28L and one is provided at the left end of heel nozzle 28R. may be provided. The heel injection port 20</b>C is in communication with the inside of the heel nozzle 28 . A positioning portion 38 is provided in the vicinity of the heel injection port 20C of each heel nozzle 28, for example, immediately below the heel injection port 20C. In other words, there is a pair of left and right positioning portions 38 . Each positioning portion 38 has a plate thickness direction that coincides with the left-right direction X, and is formed in a triangular plate shape with a rounded tip that tapers vertically toward the front side Y1 (see FIG. 2). A rear end portion of the positioning portion 38 is fixed to the heel nozzle 28 or the rear wall 7 of the washing tank 5 .

Referring to FIG. 2, protective portion 21 is formed of a wire into a tubular shape. The protection part 21 is placed on the partition member 15 in the upper space 11A of the storage chamber 11 and surrounds part of the tower nozzle 30 of the rotating nozzle 26 . Specifically, the protection part 21 is arranged between the lower part 30B of the tower nozzle 30 and the pair of holding parts 16, which is lower than the upper end part 30A where the injection port 20A is provided. surrounds and protects the lower portion 30B (see also FIG. 3). The protection part 21 may be a member separate from the partition member 15 or may be integrated with the partition member 15 .

The duct 22 is formed in a tubular shape extending in the vertical direction Z and fixed to the rear wall 7 of the cleaning tank 5 from the rear side Y2. An outlet 22A is formed at the lower end of the duct 22 . The outlet 22A is arranged at the lower part of the front surface of the rear wall 7, which is an example of the inner wall of the storage room 11, and communicates with the lower space 11B inside the storage room 11 from the rear side Y2.

The air blower 23 is a so-called fan, is arranged outside the cleaning tank 5, and is fixed to the upper end of the duct 22 from the upper side Z1. A suction port 23A is formed on the rear surface of the blower portion 23, and a discharge port 23B (see FIG. 5A) is formed on the lower surface of the blower portion 23 so as to face the internal space of the duct 22 from the upper side Z1.

The water supply passage 24 is a pipe extending from a faucet (not shown) such as a faucet, and is connected from the left side X1 to a portion of the duct 22 which is Z2 below the portion connected to the discharge port 23B of the air blower 23. (See FIG. 5A). The water supply channel 24 is not directly connected to the water faucet (not shown), but is branched from the water supply channel of the washing machine (not shown) arranged on the upper side Z1 of the shoe washing apparatus 1 to the duct 22. may be connected. A water supply valve 39 (see FIG. 5A) configured by an electromagnetic valve or the like is attached in the middle of the water supply path 24 . Note that the water supply channel 24 and the water discharge channel 37 described above are set to be somewhat long in consideration of the fact that the main body 3 is slidable.

The main body 3 is provided with a control section 40 (see FIG. 1) configured by a microcomputer or the like. Control unit 40 is electrically connected to operation unit 4C, heater 18, blower unit 23, pump 29, and water supply valve 39 by wiring (not shown). Therefore, the control unit 40 can accept the operation of the operation unit 4</b>C by the user, and can control the operation of the heater 18 , the blower unit 23 and the pump 29 and the opening/closing of the water supply valve 39 .

Next, the cleaning operation of the shoes S by the shoe cleaning apparatus 1 will be described. The washing operation includes a washing process of washing the shoes S with a washing liquid, a rinsing process of rinsing the shoes S with the washing liquid after the washing process, and a dewatering process of removing moisture from the shoes S after the rinsing process. The washing liquid in the washing step is tap water in which detergent is dissolved, and the washing liquid in the rinsing step is tap water containing no detergent component. In the washing process, bath water may be used instead of tap water.

Prior to starting the washing operation, the user pulls out the main body 3 of the shoe washing apparatus 1 to a drawer position (not shown) to open the entrance 13 of the washing tank 5, and puts a pair of shoes S through the entrance 13 into the storage chamber. 11 is housed in the upper space 11A. At this time, the user inserts the tip end portion 16B of each holding portion 16 into the opening SH of the shoe S from the lower side Z2, and then inserts it into the internal space SN of the shoe S so as to face the toe ST side. As a result, a pair of shoes S are arranged in the left-right direction X in the upper space 11A, and each pair of shoes S is held by the holding portion 16 in an inverted posture in which the shoes S are substantially horizontal in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. In the inverted shoe S, the toe ST faces the front side Y1, the sole SZ faces the upper side Z1, and the upper portion SU covering the instep and the opening SH face the lower side Z2. Further, when the user stores the shoes S in the storage chamber 11, the user puts detergent into the storage chamber 11. - 特許庁The user then returns the main body 3 to the stowed position shown in FIGS. This completes the preparation for the cleaning operation.

In the shoe washing apparatus 1 ready for the washing operation, the tower nozzle 30 of the rotating nozzle 26 is arranged between a pair of shoes S held in an inverted posture in the storage chamber 11 . An upper end portion 30A of the tower nozzle 30 is arranged to protrude upward Z1 from the sole SZ of these shoes S. As shown in FIG. As a result, at least one of the plurality of injection ports 20A provided in the upper end portion 30A is arranged at a position higher than the sole SZ. Each horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotary nozzle 26 is arranged at a position lower than the shoes S, and the injection port 20A of each horizontal nozzle 31 faces the upper portion SU and the opening SH of the shoes S from the lower side Z2. is placed in

The pair of side nozzles 27 are arranged on both sides of the pair of shoes S in the storage chamber 11, that is, on both outer sides in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. The side injection ports 20B of the side nozzle 27L face the side portion SS of the shoe S on the left side X1 from the left side X1 while being aligned substantially along the longitudinal direction of the shoe S on the left side X1. The side injection ports 20B of the side nozzle 27R face the side portion SS of the shoe S on the right side X2 from the right side X2 while being aligned substantially along the longitudinal direction of the shoe S on the right side X2. As viewed from the side, the side injection ports 20B in the row L1 of the upper side Z1 of each side nozzle 27 are arranged to overlap a portion of the side portion SS closer to the sole SZ. In particular, the front end side injection port 20B in the row L1 is arranged to overlap the portion of the side portion SS closer to the toe ST, and the rear end side injection port 20B in the row L1 is arranged to overlap the portion closer to the heel portion SK in the side portion SS. are placed overlapping each other. The side injection ports 20B in the row L2 of the lower side Z2 are arranged so as to overlap a portion of the side portion SS that is biased toward the discharge port SH in a side view.

A pair of heel nozzles 28 are arranged on the rear side Y2 of the pair of shoes S. As shown in FIG. The heel injection port 20C of the heel nozzle 28L faces the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the left side X1 from the rear side Y2, and the heel injection port 20C of the heel nozzle 28R faces the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the right side X2 from the rear side Y2. Come on. The front end of the positioning portion 38 on the left side X1 contacts the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the left side X1 from the rear side Y2, and the front end portion of the positioning portion 38 on the right side X2 contacts the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the right side X2 from the rear side Y2. contact from. As a result, the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the left side X1 is positioned by the positioning portion 38 so as to be separated from the heel injection port 20C of the left side X1 by a constant gap 41 in the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. The heel portion SK of the shoe S on the right side X2 is also positioned by the positioning portion 38 so as to separate the gap 41 from the heel injection port 20C on the right side X2.

After the preparation for the washing operation is completed, the user instructs the shoe washing apparatus 1 to start the washing operation by operating the operation section 4C (see FIG. 1). Then, the control unit 40 starts the washing process, and first opens the water supply valve 39 to supply water into the storage chamber 11 . As a result, water from a faucet (not shown) flows into the duct 22 through the water supply path 24 due to its water pressure, flows down from the outlet 22A into the storage chamber 11, and accumulates in the lower space 11B of the storage chamber 11. - 特許庁Such a duct 22 also serves as at least part of the water supply channel 24 . In addition, the tap water flowing into the lower space 11B from the outlet 22A of the duct 22 reaches the pump 29 through the outlet 12E, the opening 12G and the first channel 32 (see the thick solid line arrows in FIGS. 5B and 5C). ), the control unit 40 stops the pump 29 so that the water in the first channel 32 does not flow into at least the drain channel 37 . Therefore, the water level in the lower space 11B rises according to the water supply.

When the water surface W in the lower space 11B rises to a predetermined water level that is lower than the horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotary nozzle 26, the controller 40 closes the water supply valve 39 to stop water supply. As described above, the detergent is put into the storage chamber 11 in advance, so that the cleaning liquid generated by dissolving the detergent in water accumulates in the lower space 11B. A portion of the cleaning liquid in the lower space 11B spreads over the first channel 32 as well. A detergent storage chamber (not shown) connected to the water supply channel 24 is provided in the shoe washing apparatus 1, and the detergent stored in the detergent storage chamber is introduced into the storage chamber 11 along with the tap water at the time of water supply. may be

Next, the control unit 40 causes the cleaning liquid in the lower space 11B of the storage chamber 11 to be sucked from the first channel 32 while maintaining the state in which the first channel 32 and the drain channel 37 are continuously blocked by the pump 29 . The pump 29 is driven so that the liquid is discharged into the second flow path 33 and the third flow path 34 . Then, the cleaning liquid discharged from the first flow path 32 to the second flow path 33 (see the thick dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. 5B) flows into the tower nozzle 30 of the rotary nozzle 26 and flows through the tower nozzle 30. As it rises, it also spreads within each horizontal nozzle 31 .

Then, the cleaning liquid is jetted toward one side in the circumferential direction T from the above-described jetting port 20A' (see FIG. 4) among the plurality of jetting ports 20A arranged in a line in each horizontal nozzle 31. As shown in FIG. As a result, each horizontal nozzle 31 receives a thrust in the circumferential direction T, so that the rotary nozzle 26 rotates around the vertical axis J as a whole. It should be noted that the injection port 20A' for generating the thrust to rotate the rotary nozzle 26 may not be the one injection port 20A located at the end of the horizontal nozzle 31 on the radially outer side R1, and may be another injection port 20A. There may be. During the rotation of the rotating nozzle 26, the left and right holding portions 16 holding the shoes S are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the left-right direction X from the tower nozzle 30. is positioned away from the tower nozzle 30 (see FIG. 3).

In each horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotating rotating nozzle 26 during rotation, the washing liquid is sprayed from the jetting ports 20A other than the jetting port 20A' to the upper portion SU of each shoe S in the upper space 11A and the shoe, as indicated by the thick solid line arrows. It is jetted from the lower side Z2 toward the mouth SH. Further, the cleaning liquid rising inside the tower nozzle 30 of the rotating rotating nozzle 26 is sprayed from each injection port 20A in the upper end portion 30A of the tower nozzle 30 to the sole SZ and the side of each shoe S, as indicated by the thick dashed arrow. The fuel is injected from the upper side Z1 toward the part SS.

In addition, the cleaning liquid that has flowed from the first flow path 32 into the third flow path 34 (see the thick dashed arrows in FIGS. 5B and 5D) flows into the inlet pipe portion 36A and the first outlet pipe portion 36B of the joint pipe 36 (see FIG. 5D). 4 and FIG. 5D) into the side nozzle 27L and into the heel nozzle 28L. After flowing through the third flow path 34, the cleaning liquid flows into the fourth flow path 35 (see FIG. 5A) via the inlet pipe portion 36A and the second outlet pipe portion 36C of the joint pipe 36, and then into the side nozzle 27R. As it spreads, it spreads in the heel nozzle 28R.

Then, referring to FIG. 4, in the side nozzle 27L, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the side jetting port 20B to the left side X1 side portion SS of the left side X1 shoe S as indicated by the thick one-dot chain line arrow. . In the heel nozzle 28L, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the heel jet port 20C to the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the left side X1, as indicated by the thick dashed arrow in FIG. In the side nozzle 27R, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the side jetting port 20B to the right side X2 side portion SS of the right side X2 shoe S as indicated by a thick dashed-dotted arrow. In the heel nozzle 28R, the cleaning liquid is jetted from the heel jet port 20C to the heel portion SK of the shoe S on the right side X2, as indicated by the thick dashed arrow.

The cleaning liquid that has flowed through the third flow path 34 and flowed into the inlet pipe portion 36A of the joint pipe 36 changes its direction at a substantially right angle at the first outlet pipe portion 36B and flows into the side nozzle 27L. In the pipe portion 36C, the liquid flows through the third flow path 34 without changing its direction, and flows into the side nozzle 27R. In this case, the momentum of the cleaning liquid flowing into the side nozzle 27L can be weaker than the momentum of the cleaning liquid flowing into the side nozzle 27R.

Therefore, the inner diameter of the first outlet pipe portion 36B is set larger than the inner diameter of the second outlet pipe portion 36C. Furthermore, the internal space of the first outlet pipe portion 36B is directly connected to the internal space of the side nozzle 27L from the rear side Y2. Therefore, the hydraulic resistance in these internal spaces can be reduced. As a result, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid in the first outlet pipe portion 36B is increased, and the cleaning liquid in the first outlet pipe portion 36B reaches the front end portion in the side nozzle 27L without weakening as indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. can be passed around. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is jetted to the left and right shoes S from the side jetting ports 20B of the left and right side nozzles 27 at approximately the same force.

The shoes S to which the cleaning liquid is jetted at high pressure are cleaned by removing dirt such as mud and gravel due to the momentum of the cleaning liquid, and by chemically decomposing the dirt by the cleaning liquid. In particular, the cleaning liquid jetted from each jet port 20A of the horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotating rotating nozzle 26 is sprayed on every corner of the outer surface of each shoe S in the inverted posture, that is, the toe ST, the upper portion SU, and the opening. SH and heel SK are evenly showered. As a result, even with various shoes S having different shapes of front portions, the inner space SN, that is, the shoes S is cleaned by the cleaning liquid that has entered the inner space SN from the opening SH as well as the entire surface portion of the shoes S. The whole area inside can also be washed.

Further, each side injection port 20B of the pair of side nozzles 27 jets the cleaning liquid to the side portion SS of each shoe S from the left and right direction X, and the heel injection port 20C of the pair of heel nozzles 28 jets the heel portion of each shoe S. A cleaning liquid is jetted to SK from the rear side Y2. As a result, the side portion SS and the heel portion SK of the outer surface portion of the front side of the shoe S are washed with the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid flows down the upper portion SU along the side portion SS and the heel portion SK. SH is also washed.

Further, referring to FIG. 2, after being jetted from each jetting port 20A of the horizontal nozzle 31, the washing liquid that hits the lid 14 which is the ceiling of the storage chamber 11 and drops down, has a shoe sole SZ, that is, the outer surface of the back side of the shoe S. part exists. Further, each injection port 20A at the upper end of the tower nozzle 30 of the rotating nozzle 26 rotates integrally with the tower nozzle 30, so that the cleaning liquid can be injected over a wide area of the sole SZ of each shoe S from the upper side Z1. These cleaning liquids can effectively clean the entire area of the sole SZ.

As described above, even if the shoes S are not rubbed with a brush or the like, the high-pressure cleaning liquid jetted from each injection port 20 onto the shoes S in the storage chamber 11 has the same detergency as when the shoes S are scrubbed with a brush or the like. The entire inside and outside of the shoe S can be evenly washed so as not to be damaged while maintaining the Therefore, it is possible to improve the detergency so that the shoes S are not damaged.

In particular, the plurality of side injection ports 20B arranged vertically in each side nozzle 27 ensure that the cleaning liquid is supplied to the side portion SS of the shoe S regardless of the aforementioned low-cut type shoe S1 or high-cut type shoe S2. can be jetted. Therefore, the detergency can be improved so as not to damage any shoes S having different positions of the opening SH.

In addition to the side injection port 20B injecting the cleaning liquid to the side portion SS of the shoe S, the heel injection port 20C injects the cleaning liquid to the heel portion SK of the shoe S, so that the entire outer surface portion of the shoe S is evenly washed. can. Further, the positioning portion 38 positions the heel portion SK with respect to the heel injection port 20C. As a result, the positional relationship between the heel injection port 20C and the heel portion SK is the same as that of the heel injection port 20C so that the above-described constant gap 41 is secured regardless of the shoes S having different shapes of the heel portion SK. The positional relationship is optimal for spraying the cleansing liquid onto the heel portion SK. As a result, the heel injection port 20C can effectively inject the cleaning liquid onto the heel portion SK of the shoe S in the storage chamber 11, thereby further improving the cleaning power.

Since the holding portion 16 inserted into the internal space SN of the shoe S is frame-shaped with a large number of gaps, the holding portion 16 blocks the flow of the cleaning liquid from each injection port 20A of the horizontal nozzle 31 toward the shoe opening SH. It can smoothly flow into the interior space SN from the opening SH without being tangled, and can smoothly flow out of the shoe S from the opening SH after flowing in. If the entire shoe S is tilted such that the sole SZ shifts from the toe ST side toward the heel portion SK side toward the lower side Z2, as in the low-cut type shoe S1, the cleaning liquid in the internal space SN is removed. It is possible to more smoothly flow out of the shoe S from the opening SH.

Further, in the washing process, the controller 40 may turn on the heater 18 to heat the washing liquid in the lower space 11B. In this case, the warm cleaning liquid sprayed on the shoes S from the injection ports 20 can increase the cleaning power, so the shoes S can be cleaned more effectively.

A partition member 15 is provided between the shoe S and the horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotating nozzle 26 in the storage chamber 11 . As a result, the shoes S that have unexpectedly fallen off the holding portion 16 and the shoelaces (not shown) of the shoes S come into contact with the horizontal nozzles 31, causing the rotary nozzles 26 to rotate and the horizontal nozzles 31 to eject each jet. It is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from being impeded from being jetted from the port 20 . In addition, since the partition member 15 has a lattice shape, the cleaning liquid injected from each injection port 20 can reach the shoes S reliably by passing through the meshes of the lattice of the partition member 15 . Therefore, even if the partition member 15 is present, the shoes S can be reliably washed with the cleaning liquid jetted from each jet port 20 of the horizontal nozzle 31 .

The detergent used in the cleaning solution is preferably a low-foaming detergent specifically for cleaning shoes containing a surfactant, which is a soap component, at a ratio of 10% by mass or less, which is less than half of the usual ratio. In this case, abnormal foaming of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed, clogging of the injection ports 20 by bubbles of the cleaning liquid can be prevented, and reduction in rotational speed of the rotary nozzle 26 due to resistance of the bubbles can be prevented.

In the washing process, the cleaning liquid spilled from the shoes S after being jetted from each jetting port 20 to the shoes S in the upper space 11A of the storage chamber 11, and the cleaning liquid jetted from each jetting port 20 into the upper space 11A. The cleaning liquid that is not applied drops into the lower space 11</b>B through the grid of the partition member 15 and accumulates on the bottom surface portion 12 . In the washing process, the pump 29 continues to be driven. Therefore, the cleaning liquid in the lower space 11B flows into the first flow path 32 via the outlet 12E and the opening 12G in the bottom surface portion 12, and flows into the second flow path 33, the third flow path 34 and the fourth flow path 35. , and is jetted into the upper space 11A from each jetting port 20 of the rotary nozzle 26, the side nozzle 27 and the heel nozzle 28. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the cleaning liquid circulates between the upper space 11A and the lower space 11B. Therefore, the shoes S can be washed by circulating and repeatedly using even a small amount of washing liquid, so that the water saving performance can be improved.

Foreign matter such as gravel removed from the shoes S by the injection of the cleaning liquid rides on the cleaning liquid that is about to flow out of the storage chamber 11 from the outflow port 12E. As the cleaning liquid passes through outlet 12E, filter 25 in filter unit 17 captures foreign matter from the cleaning liquid. As a result, it is possible to prevent problems such as clogging of the pump 29 and the injection port 20 due to circulation of the foreign matter together with the cleaning liquid. The shoe cleaning device 1 may further include a sheet-like second filter 42 made of mesh or the like having a mesh finer than that of the filter 25 . The second filter 42 is arranged, for example, directly below the filter 25 on the way until the cleaning liquid that has passed through the filter 25 reaches the opening 12G. The second filter 42 captures fine foreign matter contained in the cleaning liquid that has passed through the filter 25 . The cleaning liquid that has passed through the filter 25 and the second filter 42 and flowed out of the storage chamber 11 is sent to each injection port 20 by the pump 29, and is injected from each injection port 20 into the storage chamber 11. Cycle as before.

The controller 40 switches the operation of the pump 29 so that the cleaning liquid in the first channel 32 flows to the drainage channel 37 after continuing the circulation of the cleaning liquid for a predetermined time. As a result, the cleaning liquid in the lower space 11B is forcibly discharged out of the apparatus through the first channel 32 and the drainage channel 37 . After such drainage, the controller 40 stops the pump 29 . This completes the washing process. A drain valve (not shown) whose opening and closing is controlled by the control unit 40 to open when draining water may be provided in the middle of the drain channel 37 .

When the washing process is completed, the control unit 40 starts the rinsing process, supplies water again, and stores tap water in the lower space 11B. When the water surface W in the lower space 11B reaches a predetermined water level lower than the horizontal nozzle 31 of the rotating nozzle 26 due to the water supply, the controller 40 drives the pump 29 to use the tap water as rinsing water for the upper space 11A and the lower space. It circulates between space 11B. As a result, the rinsing water from each injection port 20 of the rotary nozzle 26, the side nozzle 27 and the heel nozzle 28 is jetted onto the shoes S in the upper space 11A at high pressure, so the shoes S are rinsed with the rinsing water. At this time, the controller 40 may turn on the heater 18 to heat the rinse water in the lower space 11B. In this case, the shoes S can be rinsed effectively by showering the shoes S with warm rinsing water from the injection ports 20 .

After continuing such circulation of the rinse water for a predetermined period of time, the controller 40 switches the operation of the pump 29 so that the water in the first flow path 32 flows to the drainage path 37 . As a result, the rinsing water in the lower space 11B is discharged out of the machine through the first channel 32 and the drainage channel 37 . After that, the controller 40 stops the pump 29 . This completes the entire rinsing or cleaning process.

After the washing process, the controller 40 starts the liquid removal process by driving the air blower 23 . As a result, air outside the machine is taken into the duct 22 through the suction port 23A and the discharge port 23B of the air blower 23 . The air taken into the duct 22 turns into wind toward the outlet 22A and is sent into the storage chamber 11 from the outlet 22A. Such a duct 22 serves as at least a part of the air passage for blowing air into the outlet 22A, and in this embodiment, the entire air passage.

The air sent into the storage chamber 11 is in a high-pressure state pressurized by the air blower 23, and is sprayed on the outer surface of each shoe S in the upper space 11A, or is blown into the inner space SN of the shoe S from the opening SH. Water such as the cleaning liquid seeps out from the shoes S by flowing into the shoes S. The exuded water spills out of the shoes S. Therefore, by spraying each shoe S with air from the duct 22, the washed shoe S can be effectively deliquored. The air sent into the storage chamber 11 is finally discharged out of the machine through the exhaust port 4A (see FIG. 1) of the door 4 of the main body 3. As shown in FIG. In the liquid removing process, the controller 40 may turn on the heater 18 to generate hot air in the storage chamber 11 . In this case, the hot air can be used to remove liquid from the shoes S more effectively.

After a predetermined period of time has passed since the blower 23 was started to be driven, the controller 40 stops the blower 23 and terminates the deliquoring process. This completes the cleaning operation. Note that the control unit 40 may drive the pump 29 at the end of the liquid removal process to discharge the water spilled from the shoes S during the liquid removal process to the outside of the machine. After the washing operation is completed, the user pulls out the main body 3 to a drawer position (not shown) to open the entrance 13 of the washing tank 5 and takes out the shoes S in the storage chamber 11 from the entrance 13 .

As described above, in the shoe cleaning apparatus 1, when the shoes S are first stored in the storage chamber 11 and held by the holding portion 16, after that, the shoes S are not moved in the storage chamber 11, and the shoes S are continuously washed. cleaning operation can be performed. Further, in the shoe cleaning apparatus 1, since the holding portion 16 holds the shoes S in the storage chamber 11 in an inverted posture, the height dimension of the storage chamber 11 can be reduced compared to the case where the shoes S are held in a vertical posture. Since the size can be reduced, the overall size of the shoe washing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

Next, details of the filter unit 17 will be described. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the filter unit 17. FIG. 6 shows the filter unit 17 assembled in the shoe washing apparatus 1, and FIG. 7 shows the filter unit 17 viewed from the same direction as in FIG. Therefore, hereinafter, the orientation of the filter unit 17 is specified using the left-right direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the up-down direction Z described above. The filter unit 17 has, for example, a resin holder 75 and a filter cover 76 in addition to the filter 25 described above.

The holder 75 is formed in a frame shape elongated in the left-right direction X in a plan view and thin in the up-down direction Z. As shown in FIG. Four corners of the holder 75 in plan view may be rounded. The frame-shaped holder 75 integrally includes a pair of front and rear first frames 75A extending in the horizontal direction X and a pair of left and right second frames 75B extending in the front and rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. A pair of the first frame 75A and the second frame 75B constitutes the outer edge of the holder 75. As shown in FIG. The first frame 75A on the front side Y1 is constructed between the front ends of the pair of second frames 75B, and the first frame 75A on the rear side Y2 is constructed between the rear ends of the pair of second frames 75B. The holder 75 has an inner space 75C surrounded by the first frame 75A and the second frame 75B. The inner space 75C is open from the holder 75 to both the upper side Z1 and the lower side Z2.

The filter 25 is held by the holder 75 while covering the entire inner space 75C. The holder 75 may be provided with an elongated rod-shaped beam member 77 that crosses the inner space 75C in the front-rear direction and spans between the pair of first frames 75A. A plurality of beam members 77 may exist, and in that case, they are arranged side by side in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, there are three beam members 77, which divide the filter 25 into four laterally aligned regions.

A protruding portion 75D that protrudes toward the first frame 75A on the rear side Y2 is provided at the center in the left-right direction X of the first frame 75A on the front side Y1. The holder 75 is integrally provided with a columnar grasping portion 78 that protrudes upward Z1 from the projecting portion 75D. Almost the entire upper end surface of the grip portion 78 is an inclined surface that is inclined rearward and downward. The first locking portion 79 includes a rib-like restricting portion 79A that projects upward Z1 from the upper end surface of the grip portion 78 and extends left and right, and a claw-like restricting portion 79A that is slightly separated from the restricting portion 79A on the rear side Y2. and a locking portion 79B.

Column-shaped first connecting portions 75E projecting upward Z1 are provided at positions on both sides of the projecting portion 75D in the left-right direction X in the first frame 75A on the front side Y1. These first connecting portions 75E are configured symmetrically with the gripping portion 78 interposed therebetween, and the upper end of each first connecting portion 75E is positioned lower than the upper end surface of the gripping portion 78 . An engaged portion 80 protruding upward Z1 is provided at the center in the left-right direction X of the first frame 75A on the rear side Y2. The engaged portion 80 has a thin plate-like shape in the front-rear direction Y, and its upper end is positioned lower than the upper ends of the first connecting portions 75E. A through hole 80</b>A penetrating the engaged portion 80 in the front-rear direction Y is formed in the engaged portion 80 .

Based on the posture in FIG. 6, the filter cover 76 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape that is substantially the same as the holder 75 or slightly smaller than the holder 75 in plan view. Four corners of the filter cover 76 may be rounded like the holder 75 . A recess 76A is formed in the center of the front edge portion of the filter cover 76 in the left-right direction X so as to vertically penetrate the filter cover 76 while recessing toward the rear side Y2. The entire outer edge of the filter cover 76 is bent toward the lower side Z2 at a substantially right angle. At the outer edge of the filter cover 76, for example, at portions corresponding to the left edge and the right edge of the filter cover 76, there are contact portions 81 in the shape of thin ribs extending in the left-right direction X and protruding downward Z2. provided one by one.

An engaging portion 82 is provided at a portion of the outer edge of the filter cover 76 that corresponds to the rear edge of the filter cover 76 . The engaging portion 82 protrudes from the rear edge portion of the filter cover 76 toward the rear side Y2 and then bends toward the lower side Z2 at a substantially right angle. A claw 82A projecting to the rear side Y2 is provided at the lower end of the engaging portion 82. As shown in FIG. In the filter cover 76, a plurality of through holes 76C are formed through the body portion 76B in the vertical direction Z, which is the direction of plate thickness, in a substantially rectangular plate-like main body portion 76B located inside the outer edge thereof. be. The through hole 76C is, for example, an elongated hole elongated in the front-rear direction Y, and both ends of the through hole 76C in the longitudinal direction are rounded. The plurality of through holes 76C are evenly distributed in a matrix, for example, in the body portion 76B.

A pair of left and right slits 76D and a second locking portion 83 sandwiched between the slits 76D are formed in a portion corresponding to the rear end portion of the recess 76A in the outer edge portion of the filter cover 76. (See FIG. 7). The second lock portion 83 is formed in a substantially L shape when viewed from the side. Specifically, the second lock portion 83 includes a first portion 83A extending vertically as part of the outer edge of the filter cover 76 in FIG. and an inwardly extending second portion 83B (see FIG. 7). An end portion of the second portion 83B farthest from the first portion 83A is referred to as a tip portion 83C of the second lock portion 83 (see FIG. 7).

A portion of the outer edge of the filter cover 76 corresponding to the rear edge of the filter cover 76 is provided with a second connecting portion 76E projecting to the front side Y1. The second connecting portions 76E are present on both sides of the recess 76A in the left-right direction X, and the second connecting portions 76E are configured symmetrically across the recess 76A. The second connecting portion 76E on the left side X1 is arranged adjacent to the upper end portion of the first connecting portion 75E on the left side X1 in the holder 75 from the left side X1, and the second connecting portion 76E on the right side X2 is arranged adjacent to the upper end portion of the first connecting portion 75E on the left side X1 in the holder 75. It is arranged adjacent to the upper end portion of the portion 75E from the right side X2. The first connecting portion 75E and the second connecting portion 76E located on the same side in the left-right direction X are connected via a connecting shaft 84 extending in the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the holder 75 and the filter cover 76 are connected. Note that the connecting shaft 84 may be a part of one of the first connecting portion 75E and the second connecting portion 76E, in which case the other of the first connecting portion 75E and the second connecting portion 76E may A shaft hole is formed to receive the shaft 84 .

The filter cover 76 is supported by the holder 75 and is rotatable around the connecting shaft 84 between a closed position (see FIG. 6) and an open position (see FIG. 7). When the filter cover 76 is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 6, the main body portion 76B of the filter cover 76 is substantially horizontal, and the grip portion 78 of the holder 75 has no play with respect to the recess 76A of the filter cover 76. It is held and fitted from the front side Y1, and the upper end portion of the grip portion 78 is arranged to protrude to the upper side Z1 from the body portion 76B. Further, in the filter cover 76 at the closed position, the pair of left and right contact portions 81 contact the pair of left and right second frames 75B of the holder 75 one by one from the upper side Z1. As a result, the main body portion 76B of the filter cover 76 is positioned substantially parallel to the filter 25 and directly above the filter 25 with a predetermined gap V therebetween, covering substantially the entire area of the filter 25 from the upper side Z1. Further, the claws 82A of the engaging portion 82 of the filter cover 76 are fitted into the through holes 80A of the engaged portion 80 of the holder 75 from the front side Y1 and are caught by the engaged portion 80 from the lower side Z2, whereby the engaging portion 82 is engaged with the engaged portion 80 . The engaging portion 82 and the engaged portion 80 constitute a latch mechanism for locking the filter cover 76 at the closed position.

A user can move the entire filter unit 17 with the filter cover 76 in the closed position by pinching and moving the upper end of the grip part 78 to attach/detach the filter unit 17 to/from the shoe cleaning apparatus 1 for maintenance or the like. Referring to FIG. 4, the front end portion of concave portion 12C of first bottom surface portion 12A of shoe washing apparatus 1 has a shape and size that substantially match those of filter unit 17 in plan view, and filter unit 17 after attachment is , and is positioned in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y by fitting substantially snugly in the front end of the recess 12C. Referring to FIG. 3, the filter unit 17 after attachment is positioned in the up-down direction Z by placing the outer edge of the holder 75 on the stepped portion 12I at the boundary between the outflow port 12E and the housing recess 12F. In the attached filter unit 17, the upper surface of the filter cover 76 in the closed position is substantially flush with the second bottom surface portion 12B. As a result, there is no large unevenness between the second bottom surface portion 12B and the filter cover 76 in the closed position, so that workability can be improved when cleaning the bottom surface portion 12.

The user can remove the hook 82A from the through hole 80A of the engaged portion 80 of the holder 75 by elastically deforming the engaging portion 82 toward the front side Y1. It is possible to cancel the mating state (see FIG. 6). When the user rotates the filter cover 76 upward Z1 away from the holder 75 while the engaging portion 82 is disengaged from the holder 75, the filter cover 76 moves from the closed position to the open position shown in FIG. open. When the filter cover 76 is in the open position, the body portion 76B stands up substantially vertically to expose the entire area of the filter 25 to the upper side Z1, and the left and right contact portions 81 move away from the holder 75 to the upper side Z1. Further, the upper end portion of the grip portion 78 of the holder 75 is in a state of being fitted into the recess 76A of the filter cover 76 from the lower side Z2. At this time, the distal end portion 83C of the second locking portion 83 of the filter cover 76 enters between the restricting portion 79A (see FIG. 6) and the locking portion 79B of the first locking portion 79 at the upper end of the grip portion 78. in a state. Further opening of the filter cover 76 from the open position is regulated by the front end portion 83C contacting the regulating portion 79A from the rear side Y2. The filter cover 76 is locked at the open position by the tip 83C being caught by the engaging portion 79B. The first lock portion 79 and the second lock portion 83 constitute a latch mechanism for locking the filter cover 76 at the open position.

When the user tries to rotate the filter cover 76 in the open position to the rear side Y2, the second locking portion 83 is elastically deformed so that the distal end portion 83C of the second locking portion 83 climbs over the locking portion 79B and contacts with the restricting portion 79A. It is separated from the locking portion 79B to the rear side Y2. As a result, the lock of the filter cover 76 in the open position is released, so that when the user rotates the filter cover 76 further to the rear side Y2, the filter cover 76 moves from the open position to the closed position shown in FIG. close up.

In the filter unit 17, as described above, the filter 25 captures foreign matter from the cleaning liquid flowing out of the storage chamber 11 from the outlet 12E. Since the filter cover 76 is arranged directly above the filter 25 with the gap V therebetween, the filter cover 76 blinds foreign matter caught by the filter 25 and present in the gap V above the filter 25 . Therefore, foreign matter on the filter 25 does not easily enter the field of view of the user who accesses the inside of the storage chamber 11 to take out the shoes S in the shoe cleaning apparatus 1 after cleaning. Therefore, the appearance of the foreign matter removed from the shoe S can be improved. Further, by ensuring the clearance V, the cleaning liquid in the storage chamber 11 can reach the filter 25 not only by flowing down from the through hole 76C of the filter cover 76 but also by flowing into the clearance V from the lateral direction. As a result, the flow of the cleaning liquid toward the filter 25 in the storage chamber 11 is not obstructed, so that a large amount of cleaning liquid can be circulated during the cleaning operation. Since the through hole 76</b>C is provided in the filter cover 76 , the filter unit 17 is less susceptible to buoyancy. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the filter unit 17 immersed in the cleaning liquid from spontaneously floating up.

Further, a gap V for receiving foreign matter captured by the filter 25 can be secured between the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 by the contact portion 81 . Further, in the state where the gap V is secured, the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 can be locked by the engaging portion 82 so as not to move relative to each other. Although the contact portion 81 is provided on the filter cover 76 so as to contact the holder 75 in the above-described embodiment, it may be provided on the holder 75 so as to contact the filter cover 76 . That is, the contact portion 81 may be provided on one of the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 and configured to contact the other of the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 . Similarly, the engaging portion 82 may be provided on one of the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 and configured to engage with the other of the filter cover 76 and the holder 75 .

Even if the filter cover 76 is not separated from the holder 75, the filter 25 is exposed as shown in FIG. 7 simply by rotating the filter cover 76 to the open position and separating it from the filter 25. As a result, foreign matter on the filter 25 can be easily removed for maintenance of the filter 25 .

The mesh of the filter 25 is set smaller than the gap between the case (not shown) of the pump 29 and the impeller (not shown) inside the case. Therefore, foreign matters larger than this gap are always captured by the filter 25, so that problems such as damage to the pump 29 and locking of the impeller due to foreign matters getting caught in this gap can be prevented. Foreign matter that is fine enough to pass through the filter 25 can be captured by the second filter 42 (see FIG. 2), as described above. When the filter unit 17 is removed from the bottom surface portion 12 of the storage chamber 11, the second filter 42 is exposed, so that foreign matter captured by the second filter 42 can be removed and the second filter 42 can be maintained. .

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shoe washing device 1 is used by being incorporated into a washing machine stand (not shown), but it may be incorporated into the washing machine itself. 1 control unit 40 may perform the washing operation by receiving an instruction from the control unit of the washing machine. Of course, the shoe washing device 1 may exist alone without being incorporated into a washing machine stand or washing machine, in which case the frame 2 may be omitted and the main body 3 may not be slidable. .

1 shoe washing device 11 storage chamber 12 bottom portion 12C recess 12D bottom 12E outlet 17 filter unit 20 injection port 25 filter 42 second filter 75 holder 76 filter cover 81 contact portion 82 engagement portion S shoe V gap Z2 lower side

Claims (3)

a storage chamber which is closed from below by a bottom portion having a concave portion formed with a concave portion having an outflow port at the bottom and stores shoes;
an injection port for injecting cleaning liquid onto the shoes in the storage chamber;
a filter that captures foreign matter from the cleaning liquid that flows out of the storage chamber from the outflow port; and a filter cover that is arranged directly above the filter with a gap therebetween and has a through hole. and a filter unit disposed within the recess ,
The filter unit further has a holder that holds the filter,
The filter cover is rotatably supported by the holder between a closed position arranged directly above the filter with the gap therebetween and an open position where the filter is raised and exposed upward,
The holder is provided with a gripping portion having an upper end projecting upward from the filter cover when in the closed position,
A first lock portion is provided at the upper end portion of the grip portion,
The filter cover is provided with a second locking portion,
The shoe cleaning device , wherein the first locking portion and the second locking portion constitute a latch mechanism for locking the filter cover at the open position . one of the filter cover and the holder is provided with an abutting portion that abuts the other of the filter cover and the holder to secure the gap when the filter cover is in the closed position;
2. The shoe washing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one of said filter cover and said holder is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the other of said filter cover and said holder when said filter cover is in said closed position. . 3. The shoe washing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second filter that captures foreign matter from the washing liquid that has passed through said filter.

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