JP7636817B2 - Rotating Nozzle Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rotating nozzle device that sprays water while rotating a rotor in reaction to the spray, for example for use in cleaning cars, dishes, and other items.

Generally, nozzle devices used for washing automobiles and the like remove dirt by spraying a high-pressure jet stream from a nozzle. One such nozzle device is a rotary nozzle device in which the nozzle is attached to a rotor at an angle in the circumferential direction relative to the radial direction, and the rotor is rotated by the reaction force of the spray while spraying cleaning water (for example, Patent Document 1).

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating nozzle device of Patent Document 1 injects water from nozzles 102 on the peripheral side of a rotatable rotor 101, causing the rotor 101 to rotate in reaction. A brake is provided to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor 101, preventing a decrease in the water injection impact caused by the rotation of the rotor 101.

The brake in Patent Document 1 has multiple elastic blades 103 whose base ends are pivoted to the outside of the rotor 101. The brake opens due to the centrifugal force of the rotor 101's rotation and contacts a cylindrical cover 104 that surrounds the rotor 101, slowing down the rotational speed of the rotor 101 due to the frictional resistance.

JP 2004-148303 A (paragraphs 0011 to 0013, 0026, 0029, 0032, 0033, FIG. 6)

However, the brake in Patent Document 1 has multiple elastic blades arranged between the rotor and the cylindrical cover, and these elastic blades get in the way when cleaning the gap between the rotor and the cylindrical cover, causing dirt and other impurities to accumulate and potentially impeding the rotation of the rotor.

The present invention aims to provide a rotary nozzle device that can provide a brake between the rotor and the cylindrical cover while also making it easy to clean and preventing impurities from accumulating.

In order to achieve the above object, the rotary nozzle device of the present invention comprises a rotor shaft, a rotor rotatably fitted on the rotor shaft, a water supply passage formed on the rotor shaft, a water conduit that guides water supplied to the central hole of the rotor through the water supply passage to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, and a nozzle that sprays the water guided by the water conduit from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, and the nozzle sprays water by tilting the spray direction circumferentially with respect to the radial direction of the rotor, rotating the rotor in reaction to the spray. Furthermore, a cylindrical cover that surrounds the rotor with a gap between it and the outer circumferential surface is fixed to the rotor shaft, and a brake is provided that contacts the cylindrical cover to suppress the rotational speed of the rotor, and the brake can be freely inserted and removed from the outer circumferential surface of a brake housing that rotates integrally with the rotor.

With the above configuration, the brake can be freely inserted and removed from the outer circumferential surface of the brake storage section, which rotates together with the rotor. This allows the brake to be inserted into the brake storage section when cleaning the area between the rotor and the cylindrical cover, preventing the brake from interfering with cleaning and causing dirt and other impurities to accumulate.

The brake is pressed against an outer cylindrical cover by the centrifugal force of the rotor's rotation to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor, and because this centrifugal force increases in proportion to the square of the rotor's rotational speed, the rotor can be easily set to an appropriate range of rotational speed to reduce the decrease in the force of the sprayed water. In other words, when the rotor rotates at high speed in the opposite direction to the water spray direction, the force of the sprayed water is weakened, but by setting the rotor to an appropriate rotational speed, the rotor can be rotated to expand the water spray range while reducing the decrease in the force of the sprayed water.

In addition, because the brakes are pushed against the cylindrical cover by protruding from the brake storage section, deformation of the brake itself can be suppressed more than with conventional structures that open and close elastic blades, and fluctuations in frictional force caused by brake deformation can be suppressed, making it easier to adjust the rotation speed. For example, if the rotor rotation speed decreases due to aging, the rotation speed can be easily adjusted by simply reducing the number of brakes.

The brake may also be constructed with brake rubber fixed to the tip of a metal brake retaining bracket.

With this configuration, the brake rubber at the tip can be brought into contact with the cylindrical cover to obtain a sufficient coefficient of friction, and the brake rubber can be fixed to a relatively heavy metal brake retaining metal fitting and pressed against the cylindrical cover with sufficient centrifugal force. This effectively reduces the rotation speed of the rotor, and by adjusting the weight of the brake retaining metal fitting, the strength of the centrifugal force can be adjusted, allowing the rotor to be set to an appropriate rotation speed.

In addition, a discharge window through which water sprayed by the nozzle is discharged to the outside may be formed in a portion of the circumferential range of the cylindrical cover.

With this configuration, an ejection window is formed in a portion of the cylindrical cover, so water can be sprayed in only a specific direction around the entire circumference of the rotating nozzle device. This allows the rotating nozzle device to be used as a horizontal rotating nozzle device that can be inserted underneath a car to clean its bottom, or placed to the side of the car to clean its sides.

The present invention also provides a cleaning machine equipped with a rotating nozzle device having the above configuration.

This configuration can achieve the same effect as the rotating nozzle device configured as above.

As described above, according to the present invention, the rotor is rotated while water is sprayed from the nozzle, and the brake that protrudes from the brake storage section integrated with the rotor is brought into contact with the cylindrical cover.

This allows the brake to be recessed into the brake storage section when cleaning the area between the rotor and the cylindrical cover, preventing the brake from getting in the way of cleaning. While providing the brake between the rotor and the cylindrical cover, it makes cleaning easy and prevents impurities from accumulating.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary nozzle device according to the present invention, with a portion of the cylindrical cover cut away; Exploded perspective view of a rotary nozzle device A diagram showing the operation of the rotary nozzle device and changes in the spray state of cleaning water. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a brake portion, in which (a) shows the brake in a recessed state, and (b) shows the brake in a protruding state. A longitudinal sectional view of a conventional rotary nozzle device.

Below, the embodiment of the rotating nozzle device according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rotary nozzle device 1 is a horizontal rotary nozzle device that sprays high-pressure cleaning water 2 to remove dirt from the bottom of an automobile, etc., and is equipped with a rotor shaft 3, a rotor 4 rotatably fitted around the rotor shaft 3, a water supply passage 5 formed on the rotor shaft 3, a water conduit 7 that guides the cleaning water 2 supplied to the central hole 6 of the rotor 4 via the water supply passage 5 to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 4, and a nozzle 8 that sprays the cleaning water 2 guided by the water conduit 7 from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 4. By tilting the spray direction of the nozzle 8 circumferentially relative to the radial direction of the rotor 4, the rotor 4 is rotated by the reaction of the spray, and the cleaning water 2 is sprayed in a predetermined range above.

In addition, in the rotary nozzle device 1, a cylindrical cover 9 with a bottom is fixed to the rotor shaft 3, surrounding the rotor 4 with a gap between it and its outer periphery, and the cleaning water 2 sprayed by the nozzle 8 is discharged toward a predetermined range upward from a discharge window 10 formed in the upper part of the cylindrical cover 9. At the same time, a brake 12 is protruded from the outer periphery of a brake storage section 11 that rotates together with the rotor 4, and this brake 12 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical cover 9 to suppress the rotational speed of the rotor 4.

The rotor shaft 3 is tubular with the water supply passage 5 on the inside, and the cylindrical cover 9 is fixed to the rotor shaft 3 by clamping the bottom 9a of the cylindrical cover 9 and screwing the female thread 15a of the adapter 15, which connects to the piping 14 of the cleaning machine, into the male thread 3a at the base end. The cleaning machine's piping 14 is connected to the adapter 15 screwed onto the rotor shaft 3, and a cleaning machine equipped with the rotating nozzle device 1 is formed.

Near the center of the rotor shaft 3 in the longitudinal direction, multiple branch holes 16 are formed that connect the inside and outside of the tubular shape, and the water supply passage 5 through which cleaning water 2 is supplied from the adapter 15 is branched into multiple parts and extended radially to reach the central hole 6 of the rotor 4.

The rotor 4 is cylindrical with a central hole 6. The rotor shaft 3 is inserted into the central hole 6, and a stepped collar 17 is screwed to the tip of the rotor shaft 2, so that the rotor 4 is rotatably attached to the rotor shaft 3. A small diameter portion 4a is formed on the base end side of the rotor 4, and a ring-shaped brake storage portion 11 that rotates integrally with the rotor 4 is fitted and fixed to the outside of the small diameter portion 4a.

The water conduit 7 is formed so that its position in the longitudinal direction of the rotor shaft 3 is aligned with the branch hole 16, and extends from the central hole 6 of the rotor 4 to the outer circumferential surface, and a nozzle 8 is screwed into the outlet of this water conduit 7. The water conduit 7 and nozzle 8 are set in a direction inclined circumferentially with respect to the radial direction of the rotor 4 so that the rotor 4 is rotated by the reaction force generated when the cleaning water 2 supplied from the water supply conduit 5 to the central hole 6 is sprayed.

The cylindrical cover 9 is set to a length and inner diameter capable of accommodating the rotor 4, nozzle 8, and brake storage section 11, and a slotted discharge window 10 is formed in the upper part of the cover, aligned with the nozzle 8 in the longitudinal direction of the rotor shaft 3.

A half ring 17 with a groove-shaped cross section is attached to the outer surface of the lower part of the cylindrical cover 9 so that the position of the rotor shaft 3 in the longitudinal direction is aligned with the nozzle 8, and an injection hole 18 is formed in this half ring 17 to inject the cleaning water 2 from the inside of the cylindrical cover 9.

A frame 20 supporting wheels 19 is screwed to the tip of the cylindrical cover 9 so that the rotary nozzle device 1 can be moved through the piping 14 of the cleaning machine, and the opening at the tip of the cylindrical cover 9 is closed by a lid 21 fixed to the frame 20.

The brake storage section 11 is ring-shaped and fitted around the small diameter section 4a of the rotor 4. It has multiple circular holes 22 that penetrate it from inside to outside. Each circular hole 22 contains a brake 12 that can be freely inserted and removed. The brake 12 is made of a metal brake retaining bracket 12a with a brake rubber 12b fixed to the tip of the metal brake retaining bracket 12a.

Next, we will explain how the rotating nozzle device 1 sprays high-pressure cleaning water 2 upward.

First, high-pressure cleaning water 2 is supplied from the washer's piping 14 to the adapter 15, where it passes through the water supply passage 5 inside the rotor shaft 3 and into the central hole 6 of the rotor 4, and then passes through the water conduit 7 and is sprayed from the nozzle 8.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning water 2 sprayed from the nozzle 8 is sprayed in a radially outward direction of the rotor 4, so that the water is sprayed in a recoil motion that rotates the rotor 4.

When the nozzle 8 is in the upper position, the cleaning water 2 is sprayed upward through the discharge window 10 in the cylindrical cover 9, and the high-pressure cleaning water 2 is sprayed directly onto the bottom surface of the vehicle to clean it (see Figures 3(a) and (b)).

When the rotor 4 rotates and the nozzle 8 moves downward, the cleaning water 2 is sprayed from the inside of the cylindrical cover 9 through the spray hole 18 into the outer half ring 17, and then sprayed upward from the end opening of this half ring 17 and sprayed onto the bottom of the car, etc., to clean it (see Figures 3(c) and (d)).

In this way, by rotating the rotor 4 in reaction to the spray from the nozzle 8, the cleaning water 2 is sprayed directly upward from the nozzle 8 in the range that passes through the discharge window 10, and in the range that does not pass through the discharge window 10, it is sprayed from the nozzle 8 onto the inside of the cylindrical cover 9, and then sprayed upward through the half ring 17. As a result, the cleaning water 2 can be sprayed in a predetermined range upward over the entire circumference of the rotation of the rotor 4, and can be sprayed onto the bottom of the car, etc., to clean it.

Next, we will explain how the brake 12 reduces the rotational speed of the rotor 4.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), when the rotor 4 is stationary, the multiple brakes 12 are stored in the circular holes 22 of the brake storage section 11, making it easy to clean the area between the rotor 4 and the brake storage section 11 and the cylindrical cover 9.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the rotor 4 rotates due to the spray of cleaning water 2, the brakes 12 protrude from each circular hole 22 due to centrifugal force, and the brake rubber 12b comes into contact with the inner surface of the cylindrical cover 9, and the rotational speed of the rotor 4 is reduced by friction.

The frictional force between the brake rubber 12b and the cylindrical cover 9 is proportional to the centrifugal force acting on the brake 12, which is proportional to the square of the rotational speed of the rotor 4. Therefore, the higher the rotational speed, the stronger the brake 12 can be operated, and the rotational speed of the rotor 4 can be kept within an appropriate range.

Moreover, because the centrifugal force is proportional to the weight of the brakes 12, the rotor 4 can be easily set to an appropriate range of rotational speed by adjusting the weight and number of the brakes 12. For example, if the rotational speed of the rotor 4 decreases due to aging or other reasons, the rotational speed can be easily adjusted by simply making the brakes 12 lighter or reducing their number.

This allows the rotor 4 to rotate at a stable speed without weakening the force of the spray of the cleaning water 2 by rotating it at an excessively high speed, and allows the cleaning water 2 to be sprayed at high pressure onto the underside of the vehicle, etc. In other words, the force of the sprayed cleaning water 2 is weakened by the rotor 4 rotating at high speed in the opposite direction to the spray direction of the cleaning water 2, but by setting the rotor 4 to an appropriate rotation speed, it is possible to prevent the force of the sprayed cleaning water 2 from decreasing.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, the brake 12 can be made entirely from a single material, rather than being limited to a structure in which brake rubber 12b is fixed to the tip of a metal brake retaining bracket 12a.

The rotary nozzle device of the present invention may be any device provided with a brake 12 that projects from and retracts from the outer peripheral surface of the brake storage section 11, and may not only be a horizontal rotary nozzle device formed with a discharge window 10, but may also be one that sprays cleaning water 2 in all circumferential directions. The rotary nozzle device of the present invention may also be used for other purposes, in addition to being equipped in a cleaning machine.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Rotating nozzle device 2 Cleaning water 3 Rotor shaft 3a Male threaded portion 4 Rotor 4a Small diameter portion 5 Water supply passage 6 Central hole 7 Water conduit 8 Nozzle 9 Cylindrical cover 9a Bottom portion 10 Discharge window 11 Brake storage portion 12 Brake 12a Brake retaining metal fitting 12b Brake rubber 14 Pipe 15 Adapter 15a Female threaded portion 16 Branch hole 17 Half ring 18 Injection hole 19 Wheel 20 Frame 21 Lid portion 22 Circular hole

Claims (3)

A rotary nozzle device comprising: a rotor shaft; a rotor rotatably fitted on the rotor shaft; a water supply passage formed in the rotor shaft; a water conduit for guiding water supplied to a central hole of the rotor via the water supply passage to an outer circumferential surface of the rotor; and a nozzle for spraying the water guided by the water conduit from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, the spray direction of the nozzle being inclined circumferentially with respect to a radial direction of the rotor, and spraying water while rotating the rotor in reaction to the spray,
a cylindrical cover is fixed to the rotor shaft so as to surround the rotor with a gap between the rotor shaft and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor; and a brake is provided which contacts the cylindrical cover to suppress the rotational speed of the rotor;
The brake is a rotating nozzle device characterized in that it has a structure in which brake rubber is fixed to the tip of a metal brake retaining bracket and is freely retractable from the outer peripheral surface of the brake storage section which rotates integrally with the rotor. A rotary nozzle device comprising: a rotor shaft; a rotor rotatably fitted on the rotor shaft; a water supply passage formed in the rotor shaft; a water conduit for guiding water supplied to a central hole of the rotor via the water supply passage to an outer circumferential surface of the rotor; and a nozzle for spraying the water guided by the water conduit from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, the spray direction of the nozzle being inclined circumferentially with respect to a radial direction of the rotor, and spraying water while rotating the rotor in reaction to the spray,
a cylindrical cover is fixed to the rotor shaft so as to surround the rotor with a gap between the rotor shaft and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor; and a brake is provided which contacts the cylindrical cover to suppress the rotational speed of the rotor;
The brake is configured to freely protrude from and retract into an outer peripheral surface of a brake housing portion that rotates integrally with the rotor,
A rotary nozzle device characterized in that an ejection window for ejecting water sprayed by the nozzle to the outside is formed in a portion of the circumferential range of the cylindrical cover. A cleaning machine comprising the rotary nozzle device according to claim 1 or 2 .

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