JP7655846B2 - Cleaning device and cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a cleaning device and cleaning method for cleaning fragile objects on joint surfaces.

Patent Document 1 describes a green cutting work vehicle used to treat concrete joint surfaces during dam construction work. The green cutting work vehicle is equipped with a cleaning brush that removes debris from the concrete joint surface and a debris collection mechanism. The cleaning brush is composed of four rotating brushes located under the body of the work vehicle. The debris collection mechanism is located behind the cleaning brush.

The debris collection mechanism is composed of a collection brush, a conveyor, and a collection tank. The debris removed from the joint surface by the cleaning brush is sent towards the collection brush. The collection brush kicks the debris up onto the conveyor. The debris kicked up onto the conveyor is transported to the collection tank and collected there. Directly behind the driver's seat of the green cutting work vehicle are the power engine that drives the cleaning brush, collection brush, conveyor, etc., and the machine room that houses the hydraulic drive mechanism that drives the cleaning brush using hydraulic pressure that runs through hydraulic piping.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-85681

As with the green cutting work vehicle mentioned above, cleaning of the joint surface before pouring is done with a cleaning brush and a collection brush. However, cleaning with a brush is prone to breakdowns due to reasons such as the cement-containing rolling debris sticking to the brush, and maintenance costs can be high. In addition, if the joint surface is large, the brushes will wear out and costs such as brush replacement may be incurred. Furthermore, there may be steps on the joint surface, which can cause problems such as inefficient cleaning with a brush.

The present disclosure aims to provide a cleaning device and cleaning method that can reduce the costs of maintenance and consumables and efficiently clean joint surfaces.

The cleaning device according to the present disclosure is a cleaning device for fragile objects on the joint surface of a cement-based hardened body. The cleaning device includes a base body having a traveling mechanism at the bottom, a hollow tube having an air ejection nozzle in front of the base body that ejects air onto the joint surface, and a support member that supports the hollow tube in front of the base body. The support member supports the hollow tube and has an angle changing mechanism that can change the direction of the air in a plan view to an inclined direction.

In this cleaning device, a hollow tube is provided in front of a base having a traveling mechanism, and an air ejection nozzle attached to the hollow tube ejects air onto the joint surface of the cement-based hardened body. Therefore, the base can eject air onto the joint surface while traveling, so that fragile objects can be efficiently removed from the joint surface by the air, and the joint surface can be efficiently cleaned even if there is a step or the like on the joint surface. Since brushes are not required, the occurrence of breakdowns can be suppressed and maintenance costs can be reduced. In addition, even for wide joint surfaces, it is possible to remove fragile objects by ejecting air onto the joint surface from an air ejection nozzle attached to the front of the traveling base, so that the costs of consumable materials such as brushes can be reduced. Furthermore, in addition to removing fragile objects by air, the direction of the air in a plan view is inclined relative to the direction in which the base travels, so that the ejection of air can move the fragile objects to one side of the base. Therefore, since the air moves the fragile objects to one side while the base travels, the fragile objects can be efficiently removed from the joint surface and cleaning can be efficiently performed.

The cleaning method according to the present disclosure is a cleaning method for cleaning fragile objects on a joint surface using a cleaning device including a base having a traveling mechanism at the bottom, a hollow tube having an air ejection nozzle in front of the base that ejects air onto the joint surface of a cement-based hardened body, and a support member in front of the base that supports the hollow tube. The cleaning method includes a step of supporting the hollow tube in a state tilted with respect to the direction in which the base travels in a plan view, ejecting air from the air ejection nozzle onto the joint surface, and removing fragile objects outside the traveling area of the base as the base travels.

In this cleaning method, a hollow tube attached to the front of the base has an air ejection nozzle, and air is ejected from the air ejection nozzle onto the joint surface of the cement-based hardened body, so cleaning can be performed efficiently even if there are steps or other unevenness on the joint surface. This cleaning method does not require a brush, so breakdowns are suppressed and maintenance costs can be reduced. Furthermore, costs for consumable materials can be reduced. The direction of the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle is set to be inclined relative to the running direction of the base, and the air removes fragile objects on the joint surface outside the running area of the base. Therefore, fragile objects can be pushed to one side by air while the base is running, making it easy to remove fragile objects and perform cleaning easily.

The cleaning method may further include a step of collecting the fragile objects using a bucket. In this case, the fragile objects removed from the joint surface can be efficiently collected with the bucket.

In the process of removing the fragile objects described above, the air direction in the horizontal direction relative to the direction in which the base travels may be set to be greater than or equal to 3° and less than or equal to 60°. By setting the air direction relative to the travel direction to be greater than or equal to 3°, the fragile objects can be more reliably moved to one side of the base by the air. By setting the air direction relative to the travel direction to be less than or equal to 60°, the hollow tube can be prevented from contacting the front of the base.

The cleaning device may be equipped with a camera that photographs the location where the air is ejected. The process of removing fragile objects may include a process of using the camera to photograph the location where the air is ejected. In this case, the location where the air is ejected can be visually confirmed by checking the image captured by the camera. Therefore, it can be visually confirmed whether or not fragile objects are being removed from the front of the base by the ejection of air.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce costs for maintenance and consumables, while also enabling efficient cleaning of joint surfaces.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a cleaning device and a joint surface according to an embodiment. 1A is a perspective view showing a cleaning device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of an air ejection nozzle. 1A is a plan view of the cleaning device, which shows a schematic diagram of an angle changing mechanism, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the cleaning device, which shows a schematic diagram of the angle changing mechanism; 1A is a perspective view showing a schematic diagram of a camera attached to a cleaning device, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing an exemplary monitor that displays an image captured by the camera in FIG. 1A is a plan view of the cleaning device, which shows a schematic diagram of a state in which the direction of air from the air injection nozzle is inclined with respect to the traveling direction, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the cleaning device, which shows a schematic diagram of a state in which the direction of air from the air injection nozzle is not inclined with respect to the traveling direction.

Below, an embodiment of a cleaning device and cleaning method according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In describing the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the drawings may be partially simplified or exaggerated to facilitate understanding, and the dimensional ratios and the like are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

Figure 1 shows an exemplary site A to which the cleaning device and cleaning method according to this embodiment are applied. For example, at site A, concrete materials for constructing a centrally impermeable rockfill dam, a trapezoidal CSG dam, or an RCD concrete dam are transported and compacted by construction machinery.

Pouring the concrete material takes 3 to 48 hours. The concrete material is transported and compacted sequentially by multiple construction machines. The construction machines include, for example, a vibratory roller and a bucket, and the bucket collects the fragile material cleaned by the cleaning device 1.

At the site A, for example, dry concrete is poured and compacted by a vibrating roller. The maximum coarse aggregate size of the dry concrete is 40 mm or more and 200 mm or less, and the unit cement content of the dry concrete is 90 kg/ ^m3 or more and 180 kg/ ^m3 or less. The water-cement ratio of the dry concrete is 40% or more and 120% or less, and the slump value of the dry concrete is 3 cm or less. After being poured, the dry concrete hardens to become a cement-based hardened body.

Also, at the site A, for example, CSG material is poured and compacted by a vibrating roller. The maximum coarse aggregate size of the CSG material is 40 mm or more and 90 mm or less, and the unit cement amount of the CSG material is 50 kg/ ^m3 or more and 160 kg/ ^m3 or less. The water-cement ratio of the CSG material is 40% or more and 120% or less. After being poured, the CSG material hardens to become a cement-based hardened body.

At the site A, green cutting is performed before concrete materials such as the aforementioned dry concrete or CSG material are poured. That is, green cutting is performed by spraying high-pressure air or water onto the joint surface S (surface) formed by the cement-based hardened body of the already poured concrete. The cleaning device 1 according to this embodiment is, for example, a green cutting machine that performs green cutting.

In this embodiment, the cleaning device 1 performs cleaning to remove fragile objects (latance, debris) from the joint surface S. As an example, removal of fragile objects is performed in a range of 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less deep from the joint surface S. For example, at site A where a dam is to be constructed, the joint surface S is wide, and a considerable number of cleaning devices 1 are required. As an example, three cleaning devices 1 at site A perform cleaning to remove fragile objects from the joint surface S. The cleaning devices 1 perform cleaning by spraying air onto the joint surface S.

Figure 2(a) is a perspective view showing the cleaning device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figures 1 and 2(a), the cleaning device 1 includes a base 2, a hollow tube 4 having an air ejection nozzle 3 that ejects air onto the joint surface S, and a support member 5 that supports the hollow tube 4. The base 2 is, for example, a vehicle body having a traveling mechanism 2b at the bottom. In this case, an operator can ride on the base 2, and the operator can perform cleaning while driving the base 2. As an example, the base 2 is a truck vehicle (for example, a 2-ton vehicle).

The hollow tube 4 is supported by a support member 5 in front of the base body 2. The air ejection nozzle 3 is fixed to the hollow tube 4, and ejects air supplied to the inside of the hollow tube 4 onto the joint surface S located below the hollow tube 4. The hollow tube 4 is connected, for example, via a hose 7 to a compressor 6 mounted on the loading platform 2c of the base body 2. The hose 7 extends from above the loading platform 2c through the longitudinal end of the front window 2d of the base body 2 to the hollow tube 4.

Compressed air from the compressor 6 is supplied to the hollow tube 4 through the hose 7. As an example, the flow rate of the compressed air of the compressor 6 is 11 m ³ /min, and the discharge pressure of the air of the compressor 6 is 0.7 MPa. The air supplied from the compressor 6 to the air ejection nozzle 3 through the hose 7 and the hollow tube 4 is ejected from the air ejection nozzle 3 to the joint surface S. The strength of the cement-based hardened body of the joint surface S due to the ejection of air from the air ejection nozzle 3 is, for example, 0.2 N/mm ² or more and 3.0 N/mm ² or less. That is, the strength of the cast cement-based hardened body increases over time, but it is preferable to clean the joint surface S by ejecting air during a time period when the strength is 0.2 N/mm ² or more and 3.0 N/mm ² or less.

The hollow tube 4 extends in a direction D2 intersecting the running direction D1 of the base 2. The direction D2 intersects both the running direction D1 and the width direction D3 of the base 2. FIG. 2(b) is an enlarged view of an exemplary air ejection nozzle 3. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the air ejection nozzle 3 has a tube portion 3b attached to the hollow tube 4 and a flat portion 3c located at the end of the tube portion 3b opposite the hollow tube 4. As an example, the tube portion 3b has a cylindrical shape. For example, the inner diameter of the tube portion 3b is 10 mm. As an example, the length L of the flat portion 3c is 15 mm, and the thickness of the flat portion 3c is 2 mm.

The hollow tube 4 has, for example, a plurality of air ejection nozzles 3, which are arranged at a predetermined interval so as to be aligned along the direction D2. The air ejection nozzles 3 are arranged so that the direction in which air is ejected (air direction) is approximately perpendicular to the direction D2 in which the hollow tube 4 extends. As an example, the hollow tube 4 has 11 air ejection nozzles 3, and air is supplied from the compressor 6 to the 11 air ejection nozzles 3 at a flow rate of 11 m ³ /min. In this case, air is ejected from each air ejection nozzle 3 at a rate of 1 m ³ /min onto the joint surface S.

For example, wheels 8 are attached to the hollow tube 4 via mounting members 9. The wheels 8 and mounting members 9 are provided on both ends of the hollow tube 4. The wheels 8 are guide wheels provided to prevent the air ejection nozzle 3 from contacting the joint surface S. In other words, the lower end of the wheels 8 is located above the lower end of the air ejection nozzle 3, so that the wheels 8 come into contact with the joint surface S, thereby preventing the air ejection nozzle 3 from contacting the joint surface S.

The support member 5 supports the hollow tube 4 in front of the base body 2. The support member 5 is fixed to the lower part between the pair of front lights 2g on the front body 2f of the base body 2. As shown in Figures 2(a), 3(a) and 3(b), the support member 5 has an angle change mechanism 10 that supports the hollow tube 4 in a state in which the direction of the air E ejected from the air ejection nozzle 3 is inclined with respect to the traveling direction D1. The angle change mechanism 10 makes it possible to change the direction of the air E from a state in which it is not inclined with respect to the traveling direction D1 to a state in which it is inclined.

For example, the angle change mechanism 10 has a horizontal tilt mechanism 11 and a vertical tilt mechanism 12. The horizontal tilt mechanism 11 and the vertical tilt mechanism 12 are provided between the base 2 and the hollow tube 4. As an example, the horizontal tilt mechanism 11 is provided at a position closer to the base 2 than the vertical tilt mechanism 12. By having the horizontal tilt mechanism 11 and the vertical tilt mechanism 12, the angle change mechanism 10 does not require a hydraulic cylinder or the like, so that the angle change mechanism 10 can be simplified in configuration and the increase in costs associated with the angle change mechanism 10 can be suppressed.

Each of the horizontal tilting mechanism 11 and the vertical tilting mechanism 12 is, for example, composed of a pair of ratchets that can only rotate in one direction. In the horizontal tilting mechanism 11 and the vertical tilting mechanism 12, for example, the direction in which one of the pair of ratchets can rotate is opposite to the direction in which the other can rotate, so that the angle can be changed and fixed.

For example, the horizontal tilting mechanism 11 can fix the hollow tube 4 in a state where the orientation of the hollow tube 4 is changed around the axis 11b extending in the vertical direction. The vertical tilting mechanism 12 can fix the hollow tube 4 in a state where the height position of the hollow tube 4 is changed around the axis 12b extending in the width direction D3. Therefore, the direction of the air E relative to the traveling direction D1 and the height of the air ejection nozzle 3 can be adjusted.

As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the cleaning device 1 is equipped with a camera 13 that captures the portion of the joint surface S where the air E is being sprayed, and a monitor 14 on which the image captured by the camera 13 is displayed. For example, the camera 13 is fixed to a position adjacent to the side mirror 2h of the base body 2. The monitor 14 is, for example, placed on the top surface of the dashboard 2j of the base body 2 and facing toward the driver's seat of the base body 2. This allows the worker to view the portion of the joint surface S where the air E is being sprayed by looking at the monitor 14 while driving the base body 2.

Next, the cleaning method according to this embodiment will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 3(b), the direction of the hollow tube 4 supported by the support member 5 is changed to set the direction of the air E ejected from the air ejection nozzle 3 attached to the hollow tube 4 (step of setting the air direction). At this time, the height and direction of the air ejection nozzle 3 relative to the joint surface S are set by the vertical tilting mechanism 12, and the angle θ of the air E in the horizontal direction relative to the running direction D1 is set by the horizontal tilting mechanism 11. For example, the value of the angle θ that is set is 3° or more and 60° or less. However, the value of the angle θ may be 5° or more, or 10° or more, or may be 30° or less, 20° or less, or 15° or less.

After setting the direction of the air E sprayed from the air spray nozzle 3 as described above, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the air spray nozzle 3 sprays air E onto the joint surface S while the base body 2 runs on the joint surface S to remove the fragile object B from the joint surface S (process of removing fragile object). At this time, the air E removes the fragile object B outside the running area R of the base body 2. The direction of the air E sprayed from the air spray nozzle 3 is set by changing the inclination (direction) of the hollow tube 4 in a plan view. Therefore, the multiple air spray nozzles 3 are arranged in approximately a line along the hollow tube 4 in the extending direction D2. Therefore, the fragile object B on the joint surface S can be blown uniformly outside the running area R.

As the base 2 travels while air E is being sprayed from the air spray nozzle 3 onto the joint surface S, the camera 13 takes an image of the location where the air E is being sprayed (camera photographing process), and the image taken by the camera 13 is confirmed by visually checking the monitor 14. This makes it possible to know whether the fragile object B is being properly removed from the travel area R by the air E.

However, if the direction of the air E in a plan view is not inclined with respect to the running direction D1, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the fragile objects B are removed by the air E to both the left and right sides of the running area R of the base 2. In this case, the fragile objects B are dispersed to both the left and right sides, which can make the recovery of the fragile objects B complicated.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the direction of the air E in plan view is inclined relative to the traveling direction D1, so that the air E pushes the fragile objects B to one side of the traveling area R of the base 2. By repeatedly pushing the fragile objects B to one side of the traveling area R by the traveling of the base 2, the fragile objects B can be piled up on that one side. The fragile objects B piled up on one side are then collected by a bucket (process of collecting fragile objects). After repeating the above steps, the series of steps in the cleaning method according to this embodiment is completed.

Next, the effects obtained from the cleaning device 1 and cleaning method according to this embodiment will be described in detail. In the cleaning device 1 and cleaning method according to this embodiment, a hollow tube 4 is provided in front of the base 2 having the traveling mechanism 2b, and an air ejection nozzle 3 attached to the hollow tube 4 ejects air E onto the joint surface S. Therefore, since the base 2 can eject air E onto the joint surface S while traveling, fragile objects B can be efficiently removed from the joint surface S by the air E, and the joint surface S can be efficiently cleaned even if there are steps or the like on the joint surface S.

In addition, the conventional brushes used to rub the joint surface S are no longer necessary, which reduces the occurrence of breakdowns and reduces maintenance costs. In other words, when brushes are used, compaction debris containing cement may adhere to the brush, and adhesion of transfer debris to the brush may cause breakdowns. Furthermore, consumable materials such as brushes are consumed when cleaning a particularly wide joint surface S, which can result in high replacement costs.

However, in this embodiment, the air E removes the fragile objects B, making it possible to clean the joint surface S without contact, thereby reducing the possibility of the cleaning device 1 breaking down. In addition, in this embodiment, even for a wide joint surface S, the air E can be sprayed onto the joint surface S from the air spray nozzle 3 attached to the front of the traveling base 2 to remove the fragile objects B, thereby reducing the cost of consumable materials such as the brushes mentioned above.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fragile objects B are removed by the air E, and since the direction of the air E in a plan view is inclined relative to the traveling direction D1 in which the base body 2 travels, the fragile objects B can be pushed to one side of the base body 2 by the ejection of the air E. Therefore, since the air E pushes the fragile objects B to one side while the base body 2 travels, the fragile objects B can be efficiently removed from the joint surface S, and cleaning can be efficiently performed.

The cleaning method according to this embodiment further includes a step of recovering the fragile object B using a bucket. Therefore, the fragile object B removed from the joint surface S can be efficiently recovered using the bucket.

In this embodiment, in the process of setting the orientation described above, the horizontal orientation (angle θ) of the air E relative to the running direction D1 in which the base 2 runs is set to be 3° or more and 60° or less. By setting the horizontal orientation of the air E relative to the running direction D1 to 3° or more, the fragile object B can be more reliably moved to one side of the base 2 by the air E. By setting the orientation of the air E relative to the running direction D1 to 60° or less, the hollow tube 4 can be prevented from contacting the front of the base 2.

The cleaning device 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a camera 13 that photographs the location where the air E is ejected. The process of removing the fragile object B includes a process of using the camera 13 to photograph the location where the air E is ejected. Therefore, it is possible to visually confirm the location where the air E is ejected by checking the image inside the base 2. Therefore, it is possible to visually confirm whether the fragile object B is being removed from the front of the base 2 by the ejection of the air E.

The above describes embodiments of the cleaning device and cleaning method according to the present disclosure. However, the cleaning device and cleaning method according to the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the gist of the claims. In other words, the configuration, shape, size, number, material, and arrangement of each part of the cleaning device, as well as the content and order of the steps of the cleaning method, are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate.

For example, in the above embodiment, a cleaning device 1 was described that includes a base 2 having a hollow tube 4 to which an air ejection nozzle 3 is attached, and that ejects air E onto the joint surface S to remove fragile objects B. However, the cleaning device may also include a base that further includes a tube to which a water ejection nozzle is attached, and that ejects water onto the joint surface to remove fragile objects. In this case as well, the fragile objects are pushed to one side of the travel area of the base by the water, so that the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning device 1 is described as having a support member 5 provided with an angle change mechanism 10 having a horizontal tilt mechanism 11 and a vertical tilt mechanism 12. However, the configuration of the angle change mechanism is not limited to a configuration having a horizontal tilt mechanism 11 and a vertical tilt mechanism 12. For example, the angle change mechanism may be provided with a hydraulic cylinder that changes the orientation of the hollow tube and the air ejection nozzle, in which case it is possible to change the orientation of the hollow tube and the air ejection nozzle while traveling.

1...cleaning device, 2...base, 2b...traveling mechanism, 2c...cargo platform, 2d...front window, 2f...front body, 2g...front light, 2h...side mirror, 2j...dashboard, 3...air nozzle, 3b...tubular section, 3c...flat section, 4...hollow tube, 5...supporting member, 6...compressor, 7...hose, 8...wheel, 9...mounting member, 10...angle changing mechanism, 11...horizontal tilting mechanism, 11b...axis, 12...vertical tilting mechanism, 12b...axis, 13...camera, 14...monitor, A...site, B...fragile object, D1...traveling direction, D2...direction, D3...width direction, E...air, R...traveling area, S...joint surface, θ...angle.

Claims (4)

A cleaning device for weak objects on the joint surface of a cement-based hardened body,
A base body having a traveling mechanism at a lower portion thereof;
A hollow tube having an air ejection nozzle for ejecting air onto the joint surface in front of the base body;
a support member for supporting the hollow tube in front of the base;
Equipped with
the support member supports the hollow tube and has an angle changing mechanism capable of changing the direction of the air in a plan view to an inclined direction,
A wheel is attached to the hollow tube to prevent the air ejection nozzle from contacting the joint surface via an attachment member.
Cleaning equipment. A cleaning method comprising the steps of: cleaning fragile objects on the joint surface with a cleaning device including a base having a traveling mechanism at a lower portion, a hollow tube having an air ejection nozzle for ejecting air onto the joint surface of a cement-based hardened body in front of the base , and a support member for supporting the hollow tube in front of the base; and recovering the fragile objects using a bucket ,
A step of supporting the hollow tube in a state inclined with respect to the direction in which the base travels in a plan view, blowing air from the air blowing nozzle onto the joint surface, and removing the brittle object outside the running area of the base as the base travels ,
The cement-based hardened body is a concrete material that hardens after being poured,
The transport and compaction of the concrete material is performed by a plurality of construction machines, and the bucket is included in the construction machines.
How to clean : In the step of removing the fragile object, a direction of the air in a horizontal direction with respect to a direction in which the base body travels is set to be 3° or more and 60° or less.
The cleaning method according to claim 2 . A wheel is attached to the hollow tube to prevent the air ejection nozzle from contacting the joint surface via an attachment member.
The cleaning method according to claim 2 or 3.

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