JPH0722569B2 - Rack loading method - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rack loading method capable of continuously stacking racks, which have been washed by a dishwasher, on a wagon without requiring human labor. It is a thing.

BACKGROUND ART A dishwasher that automatically cleans a large number of dirty dishes, bowls, cups, etc. that have been used for eating and drinking is installed mainly in kitchens such as coffee shops and restaurants, and is suitable for business use. . To describe the basic structure of this dishwasher as an example, a washing tank having vertically arranged nozzles that horizontally rotate due to the reaction force of the washing liquid, and a box-like shape that covers the washing tank and defines a washing chamber inside The casing comprises a casing and a pump for supplying a cleaning liquid to the nozzle under pressure, and a rack containing the dishes to be cleaned can be housed in the cleaning chamber. As a structure for storing the rack in the washing chamber and taking out the rack after the washing from the washing chamber, there is a door type in which an opening / closing door is provided at the front of the casing, and the washing chamber is covered with the casing from above. There is an open / close type that allows the rack to be inserted into and taken out of the upper part of the washing tank by raising and lowering this casing.

In either type, when cleaning, after loading the rack containing the dishes requiring cleaning in which leftover food is removed in advance into the cleaning chamber, the high temperature cleaning liquid is sprayed onto the dishes in the rack from the upper and lower rotating nozzles for the required time. Main washing is performed, and then hot water is sprayed from the nozzle to the dishes to rinse them for a required time to complete the dish washing.

Then, as the cleaning work progresses, the racks containing the washed dishes are taken out from the dishwasher and sequentially stacked and stored in the rack storage section.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention As described above, the work of loading a rack containing dishes to be washed into the dishwasher and the work of unloading the rack after washing out of the machine and stacking the racks in the rack storage section are Both require manpower. In a normal coffee shop or restaurant, the amount of dishwashing is not so large, so this does not matter, but in a hotel with a large banquet hall or a kitchen in a large-scale drive-in, this becomes a problem that cannot be ignored. There is.

That is, in the above-mentioned large-scale eating and drinking facility, when a large amount of tableware requiring washing is generated at one time, it is necessary for one operator to handle loading / unloading / stacking of racks in terms of work amount / working time. However, there is a drawback in that overworking is forced and the operating rate of the washing machine also decreases. So in this case,
Generally, two workers share the rack loading work and the unloading / stacking work, but at this time, it is pointed out that the labor cost increases.

In addition, manually stacking a heavy rack full of tableware in the rack storage section imposes a heavy labor on the worker. Moreover, in the dishwasher, the dishes are “rinsed” by spraying hot water at the final stage of washing, but this causes the dishes and the rack to become hot, so the worker suffers from burns when the rack is carried out immediately after rinsing. There is also.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention, in the above-mentioned large-scale eating and drinking facility, in view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in stacking racks containing washed dishes in a rack accommodating unit, in order to suitably solve this problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for loading racks, which has been proposed and which can continuously perform stacking work of racks containing dishes.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and preferably achieve the intended purpose, the rack loading method according to the present invention is a method of loading a rack containing dishes to be washed into a dishwasher. A method of taking out a rack for which dishwashing with the washing machine has been completed from the dishwashing machine and loading the rack into a rack storage section, and sending the rack toward a lifter device disposed adjacent to the dishwashing machine, , A step of pulling the rack sent out from the dishwasher to a fixed position of the carrier by a loading device of the carrier which is provided in the lifter device and can be lifted and lowered in a horizontal posture; and moving the carrier up and down. A rack mounted on the carrier and the loading device, which are adjacent to the required shelf members arranged in multiple stages above and below the rack accommodating portion arranged on the rack delivery side of the lifter device. The process of unloading the rack to the required shelf member and raising the carrier after unloading the rack from the rack unloading position causes the sending-out part formed at the end of the rack-housing part of the carrier to move to the rear end of the rack. A step of bringing the rack into contact with the rack and completely pushing the rack to a fixed position in the rack housing portion.

Embodiments Next, a rack loading method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings with reference to preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 schematically shows the overall configuration of a dishwashing apparatus in which the method according to the present invention is carried out, and is composed of a set of units arranged in a key shape centering around the dishwasher. . Further, FIG. 10 to be described later schematically shows an overall configuration of another dishwashing apparatus in which the method according to the present invention is carried out, and in this configuration, each unit is arranged in series.

In the dishwasher shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, whether the rack carry-in device, the dishwasher, the lifter unit and the wagon unit, which will be described later, are arranged in a key shape or in series. , And the contents of each unit are the same. However, in the dishwasher with the key-shaped arrangement shown in FIG. 1, the rack transport path is displaced by about 90 ° around the dishwasher, so a separate rack delivery mechanism (described later) is required. In the example,
The case where the rack loading device is configured to carry the rack into the dishwasher will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rack loading into the dishwasher may be performed manually. .

(About Dishwasher) A dishwasher 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a rectangular washing tank 11 which is entirely opened upward and a vertically movable box-like lid which can cover the washing tank 11 from above. The casing 12 is basically provided, and the casing 12 defines a washing chamber inside with the washing tank 11 covered. The structure of the dishwasher itself is common as a commercial washer,
Rotating nozzles 15 and 15 that face each other horizontally in a vertical relationship (only the lower nozzle 15 is shown), a pump for injecting cleaning liquid and rinsing water, and other members (not shown) such as a hot water storage tank are provided. Has been done. A rack 14 accommodating tableware 13 that is used and needs to be washed can be placed in the washing tank 11 at a fixed position just above the lower nozzle 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 12 is supported so as to be able to move up and down along a pair of guide rails 73, 73 (only one of which is shown) arranged upright on the back side of the cleaning tank 11. A cover 18 extending vertically by a predetermined length is provided on the back side of the cleaning tank 11, and the cover 18 covers the lifting mechanism of the casing 12. A sprocket 17 is fixed to the output shaft 16a of the motor 16 arranged below the cleaning tank 11,
A sprocket 19 is rotatably supported above the inside of the cover 18, and an endless chain 20 is wound between the sprockets 17 and 19. A protrusion 12a protruding from the casing 12 is fixed at an appropriate position of the chain 20, and the casing 12 moves up and down by the traveling of the chain 20 in accordance with the rotational driving of the motor 16 in the forward and reverse directions to raise and lower the casing 12. 11 open and closed (covered).

(Regarding Rack Carrying-In Device) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rack carrying-in device 24 for carrying in the rack 14 to the fixed washing position in the washing tank 11 is provided on the front side of the dishwasher 10. Are arranged. This rack loading device 24
It is basically composed of a table-like horizontal base 25 on which a rack 14 accommodating 13 can be placed, and when considering the flow of the rack 14 around the dishwasher 10, it should be located on the upstream side. become. The base 25 has its upper surface at the second level.
As shown in the figure, a mechanism is provided which matches the rack receiving level of the washing tank 11 and carries the rack 14 toward the dishwasher 10 located on the downstream side.

That is, a pair of horizontally opposed shafts 26, 26 are rotatably supported in the vicinity of both ends of the horizontal base 25, which are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and sprockets are provided at the respective shaft ends protruding to both sides of the base 25. 27 is fixed. Then, on both sides of the shafts 26, 26, transport chains 28, 28 are wound around the sprockets 27, 27 in parallel. A motor 29 is arranged below the base 25, and a sprocket 30 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 29 is used.
A drive chain 31 is wound between a sprocket (which is coaxially adjacent to the sprocket 27 but not shown) arranged on the shaft 26 located on the side close to the sprocket. Therefore, if the motor 29 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions,
The transfer chains 28, 28 arranged on both sides of the base 25 travel back and forth.

A pusher 32 is attached to each of the transport chains 28, 28 so as to connect the chains across slightly above the base 25 so that the rack 14 can be sent to the dishwasher 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, each end of a pusher 32 formed of a rod member is attached to a suitable position of the transport chains 28, 28 facing each other, and the pusher 32 is reciprocally moved by the transport chains 28, 28. It moves back and forth horizontally slightly above the base 25. The pusher 32 is formed with a protrusion 32a that horizontally protrudes toward the dishwasher 10, and the protrusion 32a
As will be described later, the rack 14 can be carried in to a fixed cleaning position that does not hinder the lowering of the casing 12 of the dishwasher 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of dogs 33 and 34 are arranged at a predetermined interval in one of the transfer chains 28, and the base 2
At a suitable position of 5, a pair of detection means 35, 36 is arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction so as to face the movement loci of the dogs 33, 34. That is, when the rack 29 is carried into the dishwasher 10 by driving the motor 29 in the normal direction to move the pusher 32 forward, one dog 33 turns on one detection means 35 corresponding to this. , Functions to reverse the rotation direction of the motor 29. The other dog 34 has a motor 29
When the pusher 32 retracts to a predetermined standby position due to the reverse rotation, the other detection means 36 is turned on to stop the motor 29.

(Regarding Rack Delivery Mechanism) As will be described later, in the dishwasher shown in FIG. 1, the lifter device 37 is arranged adjacent to the dishwasher 10 in a positional relationship intersecting the carry-in line of the rack carry-in device 24, and as a whole. It will be a key-shaped unit array (right bend or left bend is acceptable). For this purpose, a mechanism is required to feed the dish rack 14 that has been washed by the dishwasher 10 toward the lifter device 37 located in the direction intersecting the rack loading device 24. Therefore, this mechanism will be described below.

In particular, as enlargedly shown in FIG. 3, a motor 21 is disposed on one side of the washing tank 11 of the dishwasher 10 with its output shaft 21a directed upward, and the rack 21 is extruded to the output shaft 21a. One end of the arm 22 is fixed. That is, by driving the motor 21 and horizontally swinging the arm 22 in a predetermined direction (clockwise in the example of FIG. 1), the rack 14 placed right above the washing tank 11 is moved to the arm. It is pushed out of the washing machine 10 by 22. In order to function in this manner, the length of the arm 22 is such that when the arm 22 is swung to reach the position directly above the cleaning tank 11, the open end of the arm moves the rack 14 to the lifter device 37 side by a required distance. Extrudable size (8th
As shown in FIG. 6B, the rack 14 is set to a size such that the rack 14 can be pulled into the lifter device 37 by a loading device 62 described later. A roller 22a is preferably pivotally attached to the open end of the arm for smooth delivery of the rack 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning tank 11 is provided with a restriction member 23 for restricting the rack position at the front edge portion parallel to the method by which the rack 14 is pushed out. That is, as in the illustrated example, when the rack delivery mechanism is of the arm swing type because of the space limitation, the rack 14 located right above the cleaning tank 11 is inevitably pressed by the arm 22. It is expected that the robot will be “twisted” horizontally (when the arm is clockwise) due to the counterclockwise turning force, and the delivery posture of the downstream lifter device 37 will be displaced (biased). In such a case, by providing the regulation member 23, when the arm 22 swings and pushes out the rack 14 as described above, the side portion of the rack 14 comes into contact with the regulation member 23 and moves. Posture bias is regulated.

The regulating member 23 is pivotally supported via the pivot 23a and is slightly rotatable forward and backward with respect to the vertical line, so that the rack 14
Is transferred from the rack loading device 24 to the cleaning tank 11,
The regulating member 23 in contact with the rack 14 rotates a little and escapes, so that smooth feeding is achieved. In addition, the regulation member 23
Will be located between the dishwasher 10 and the rack loading device 24, but the restriction member 23 is provided at a level that does not hinder the loading of the rack 14 by the rack loading device 24. Of course.

(Regarding the Lifter Device) As shown in FIG. 1, the rack 14 that has been washed is placed at a position adjacent to the dishwasher 10 in a positional relationship intersecting the carry-in line of the rack carry-in device 24 from the dishwasher 10. A lifter device 37 is installed to carry out the rack 14 and stack the rack 14 on a wagon 67 described later. The lifter device 37 basically includes a frame body 40 in which the corners of the rectangular support frame members 39, 39 are connected at the upper and lower ends of the four columns 38,
Inside the frame body 40, a carrier body 42 that can be raised and lowered in a horizontal posture is arranged along four columns 38. In addition, rack 14
The columns 38, 38 located in a direction intersecting the carrying-out direction of the rack 14 are set to a spacing dimension that allows the rack 14 to pass therethrough.

As shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 42 is a rectangular carrier frame.
The rack 14 is housed inside the frame. A roller 50 is rotatably supported at each corner of the transport frame body 49, and the roller 50 abuts on each corresponding column 38 to keep the transport frame body 49 (transport body 42) in a horizontal posture. Prop
You can move up and down along 38.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the upper support member 39 on one side (the side intersecting the rack unloading direction) of the frame body 40.
A bracket 43 is suspended and fixed to a, and a sprocket 47 is fixed to a horizontal output shaft of a motor 44 arranged on the bracket 43. A bracket 45 is also arranged on the lower support member 39b located below the motor 44, and a sprocket 46 is rotatably supported on the inner side of the bracket 45. A chain 48 is wound around both sprockets 46 and 47.

The carrier 42 is connected to the chain 48 via means not shown.
It is fixed to. Therefore, by rotating the motor 44 in the forward and reverse directions, the chain 48 travels, and along with this, the carrier 42
Moves up and down along the column 38 via the rollers 50 of the transport frame 49. A plurality of detection means 66 (four in the embodiment) are arranged on the support column 38 at an appropriate position in the vertical direction at a predetermined interval, and the detection means 66 are dogs (not shown) arranged on the carrier 42. The function of stopping the positioning of the carrier 42 at a predetermined position (a position where the rack 14 transferred to the carrier 42 can be carried into the shelf member 70 of the wagon 67 described later) is detected.

(Regarding Rack Loading Device in Transporter) Inside the transport frame 49, an elevating stand 51 is arranged, and on this elevating stand 51, the rack 14 is pulled out from the dishwasher 10 and transferred to the lifter device 37, A loading device 62 that carries out the rack 14 of the lifter device 37 to a wagon 67 described later is provided. The lifting platform 51 surrounds the loading device 62 provided inside and a cover on which the rack 14 is placed.
It has 52,54. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a rectangular central cover 52 is removably disposed in the central portion of the lifting platform 51, and side covers are provided on both sides of the central cover 52 with required gaps 53, 53. 54, 54 are provided.

A guide 54a protruding upward is integrally formed on the side cover 54, and a spacing dimension between the two guides 54a, 54a facing each other is set to a value which allows the rack 14 after the cleaning to pass. Further, two detecting means 55, 56 are arranged near both ends in the longitudinal direction of one guide 54a, and the detecting pieces 55a, 56a are provided.
Is projected inward of the guide 54a. And, the detection means 55 located on the entrance side close to the dishwasher 10,
Detecting the arrival of the rack 14 and functioning to start the rack loading device 62, and the detection means 56 provided on the outlet side.
Detects that the rack 14 has been loaded onto the carrier 42 and functions to stop the loading device 62.

A drive shaft 75 and a driven shaft 76, which constitute the loading device 62, are rotatably supported at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction inside the lifting platform 51 so as to be rotatable. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, below the gaps 53, 53 formed between the cover 52 and the one cover 54 and between the cover 52 and the other cover 54, the drive shaft 75 and the driven The sprockets 57 and 58 fixed to the shaft 76 are located, and the chain 59 is wound between the sprockets 57 and 58 forming each row. In addition, another sprocket 77 is fixed to the drive shaft 75, and this sprocket 77 and the lifting platform 51
Sprocket fixed to the output shaft of the motor 78 installed inside
Another chain 80 is wrapped around 79. Therefore, by rotating the motor 78 in a predetermined direction, the pair of chains 59, 59 facing below the gaps 53, 53 travel in the predetermined direction.

In each chain 59, a pair of protrusions 60, 81 that can protrude from the gap 53 by a predetermined height are arranged at predetermined intervals. In the standby state before the rack 14 is loaded into the carrier 42 (the state shown in FIG. 8A), the protrusion 60 located on the entrance side is pushed out from the dishwasher 10 by the lever 22. It engages with the uneven bottom of the rack 14,
Function to pull out from the dishwasher 10 and transfer it to the carrier 42 (see FIGS. 8B and 8C). Further, the projection 81 located on the outlet side in the above-mentioned state abuts on the rear end of the rack 14 transferred to the carrier 42 and functions to load the rack 14 on the wagon 67 (eighth embodiment). See FIG. (D)). In the standby state of the loading device 62, the projections 60, 81 arranged on the chain 52 are controlled so as to always stand by at a fixed position.

As shown in FIG. 5, the end portions of the side covers 54, 54 on the outlet side serve as a sending portion that projects from the frame 40 in the direction of a wagon 67 described later and that gradually inclines downward in the projecting direction. Tapers 54b, 54b are formed. As shown in FIG. 9B, the taper 54b abuts the rear end of the rack 14 loaded on the wagon 67 when the carrier 42 is raised, and pushes the rack 14 further to the wagon side. It works as intended. This prevents the rear end of the rack 14 loaded on the wagon 67 from colliding with the vertically moving carrier 42. The delivery portion is not limited to the taper as in the embodiment, and may be, for example, a round shape as long as the shape gradually inclines downward in the protruding direction of the cover 54.

Further, an opening 52a is formed at the end of the central cover 52 on the outlet side, and a rack detecting means 61 is arranged in the opening 52a. The rack detecting means 61 optically detects whether or not the rack 14 is loaded on each stage of the wagon 67, for example, and starts the loading device 62 only when the rack 14 is not loaded. Is set to let.

As shown in FIG. 1, a positioning member 63 and a fixing piece 64 for positioning and fixing the wagon 67 to the lifter device 37 are opposed to the columns 38, 38 located on the opposite side of the frame 40 from the dishwasher 10. It is installed in. Further, in the lower support member 39b located between the support columns 38, 38, a guide plate 65 projecting outward more than the projecting dimension of the taper 54b of the side cover 54 from the frame 40 is provided in the longitudinal direction. It is arranged along. A portion of the guide plate 65 near each of the columns 38, 38 is provided with a lower support member 39 as it goes away from each other.
The taper is attached to the b side.

That is, when the wagon 67 is positioned and fixed to the lifter device 37, the wagon 67 is fitted to the positioning member 63 and the fixing piece 64 in a state where the wagon 67 is in contact with the guide plate 65, so that the wagon 67 is attached to the side cover 54. It is possible to prevent the taper 54b from being caught. The positioning member
It is recommended to provide a detection means at 63, detect whether or not the wagon 67 is set, and perform drive control of the entire dishwasher.

By the way, when the tableware 13 stored in the rack 14 is large, there is a fear that the tableware 13 may come into contact with the transport frame 49 and damage the tableware 13. Therefore, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a detection plate is provided at a portion of the frame 40 that faces the dishwasher 10.
When the tableware 13 projecting upward from the rack 14 abuts on the detection plate 82, the detection means 83 provided on the support column 38 is operated by the detection plate 82, whereby the tableware 82 is pivotally supported. Control is performed to stop the operation of the cleaning device.

(About Wagon) The wagon 67 that functions as a housing portion of the rack 14 is a first
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, inverted U-shaped frames 69, 69 are provided upright on the upper surface of a bottom plate 68 formed in a rectangular shape with a predetermined gap in the loading direction of the rack 14. Both frames 69,69
Is an L-shaped shelf member that is parallel to the loading direction of the rack 14.
70 and 70 are arranged opposite to each other, and the pair of shelf members 70 and 70
Are arranged in the vertical direction of the frames 69, 69 with a predetermined interval therebetween (four sets in the embodiment). Further, four casters 71 are arranged on the bottom surface of the bottom plate 68, and the wagon 67 is movable. In addition, at the edge of the bottom plate 68,
A dam member 72 projecting upward is arranged so as to be able to store water droplets dripped from the rack 14 stacked on the wagon 67.

(Regarding Modifications) FIG. 10 shows another dishwashing apparatus capable of suitably carrying out the rack loading method according to the present invention, which includes a rack loading device 24, a dishwasher 10, a lifter device 37, and Wagon 67 is arranged in series. Each of these units basically has the configuration as described above. However, in the case of the present embodiment, the rack delivery mechanism comprising the motor 21 and the arm 22 shown in FIG. That is, the rack loading device 24
The rack 14 loaded into the dishwasher 10 by the above is pushed out of the dishwasher 10 by forcibly loading the next rack 14 into the dishwasher 10 (see FIG. 11). Then, the rack 14 pushed out by a predetermined length is transferred into the lifter device 37 by the loading device 62 arranged in the lifter device 37.

Next, a method for loading a rack, which is carried out by operating the dishwasher arranged in the key shape shown in FIG. 1, will be described below. First, after removing a large amount of leftover food, the tableware that has been used and soiled is stored in a required number in a state of lying down on the rack 14. A rack containing this tableware 14
As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the base of the rack loading device 24
Place on top of 25. At this time, the casing 12 of the dishwasher 10 is lifted to a fixed position and stopped, and the washing tank 11 is opened to wait for rack loading. Next, when the start button (not shown) of the dishwasher is pressed, the motor 29 of the carry-in device 24 is driven in the forward rotation direction, and the pusher 32 moves toward the dishwasher 10 via the transport chains 28, 28. Move forward. As a result, the rack 14 advances on the base 25 and is carried into the washing tank 11 of the dish washer 10 (see FIG. 7 (b)).

When the pusher 32 advances to the specified position, the transport chain 28
The detection means 35 detects the arrival of the dog 33 at the fixed position, and causes the motor 29 to rotate in the reverse direction. When the pusher 32 retracts to the original standby position, the detection means 36 detects that the other dog 34 has arrived at the fixed position, and the rotation of the motor 29 is stopped. When the pusher 32 retracts again, the dishwasher 10
The motor 16 arranged in FIG. 7 is started to lower the casing 12 to cover the washing tank 11 and surround the rack 14 located above the washing tank as shown in FIG. 7 (c).
When the lid of the casing 12 is detected by an appropriate detection means, the dishwasher 10 starts washing, and when the washing / rinsing of the dish 13 is completed after a predetermined time, the motor 16 is reversely driven and the casing 12 is washed. Raise. It should be noted that while the dishwasher 10 is washing the dishes 13, the rack 14 to be washed next time may be preliminarily placed on the base 25 of the rack loading device 24.

Next, when the motor 21 in the rack delivery mechanism arranged on the side of the dishwasher 10 is started and the arm 22 is horizontally swung, the rack 14 moves in the loading direction as shown in FIG. 7 (d). It is extruded in a direction that intersects at approximately 90 °. At this time, since the rack 14 is restricted from moving in the lateral direction by the restriction member 23, the rack 14 is moved to the lifter device 37.
It is sent in a correct posture toward.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, the mounting surface of the lifting / lowering platform 51 (upper surface of the covers 52, 54) in the lifter device 37 is as shown in FIG.
It stands by at a position that coincides with the upper surface level of the cleaning tank 11. Further, the projection 60 provided on the chain 59 is provided with the cover 5
It does not protrude from the upper surface of 4,52. Therefore, the arm 22
The leading end of the rack 14 pushed out by the above moves to the covers 52, 54, 54 of the elevating stand 51. Then, when the leading end of the rack 14 operates the detecting means 55 arranged on the inlet side of the side cover 54, the loading device 62 is started. That is, the chains 59, 59 of the loading device 62 run and the eighth
As shown in the figure (b), one of the protrusions 60, 60 is engaged with the uneven portion on the bottom of the rack. As a result, the rack 14 is completely pulled out from the dishwasher 10 and the lifting platform 51 is transferred. Then, when the leading end of the rack 14 activates the detection means 56 on the outlet side, the driving of the loading device 62 is stopped, and the transfer of the rack 14 to the carrier 42 is completed (see FIG. 8 (c)). .

When the rack 14 is unloaded from the dishwasher 10 to the lifter device 37, the washing tank 11 becomes empty, so that the next rack 14 can be loaded into the dishwasher 10 by the pusher 32. In addition, since the bottom of a general-purpose rack that has been used in the past is almost always formed with an uneven portion, in the dishwasher according to the embodiment, an existing rack can be used without using a rack having a special shape. Can be used as is.

When the transfer of the rack 14 is completed, the motor 44 is driven in the required direction to move the carrier 42 upward, for example. When a dog (not shown) arranged on the carrier 42 reaches the position where the uppermost detection means 66 arranged on the support 38 is arranged, the detection means 66 detects the dog and the motor 44 Is stopped (see FIG. 7 (e)). In addition, this detection means
The arrangement position of 66 is such that when the carrier 42 is stopped,
The upper surface of the elevating stand 51 and the mounting surfaces of the shelf members 70, 70 arranged on the wagon 67 are set to be at the same level.

Here, the rack detection means 61 arranged in the transport 42 determines whether or not the rack 14 is placed on the shelf members 70, 70,
If the rack 14 is not stored, the loading device
Start 62. However, when the rack 14 is stored in the shelf members 70, 70, the carrier 42 is lowered and stopped at the front surface of the second shelf member 70, 70.
The work of determining the presence of is repeated. When stacking racks 14 on the wagon 67, program the loading sequence so that the racks are loaded in order from the top, and load the newly loaded racks.
It is recommended to prevent the tableware 13 contained in the rack 14 already loaded from getting wet by the water droplets dripping from the rack 14.

When the loading device 62 is started again, the chains 59, 5
The other projection 81, 81 projecting from 9 contacts the rear part of the rack 14 as shown in FIG.
9,59 run and push the rack 14 into the shelf members 70, 70 of the wagon 67. When the projections 81, 81 move to a position where the rack 14 cannot be carried out, the detection means (not shown) detects this and stops the loading device 62.

Then, the motor 44 is driven to raise the carrier 42 from the position shown in FIG. 9 (a) to the position shown in FIG. 9 (b). At this time, the tapers 54b, 54b formed on the outlet side of the side covers 54, 54 ascend while coming into contact with the rear end of the rack 14, so that the rack 14 is pushed into the wagon 67 side. As a result, the rack 14 is, as shown in FIG. 7 (f),
It is completely loaded on the shelf members 70, 70 of the wagon 67. Then, the carrier 42 returns to the intended standby position and stops, thereby completing one cycle. In this way the wagon 67
Then, the required number of racks 14 (4 in the embodiment) are sequentially loaded.

In addition, the shelf members 70, 70 below the standby position of the carrier 42.
After the rack 14 is pushed in, the carrier 42 is raised to the standby position, whereby the above-mentioned "recessed pushing" of the rack 14 is performed. By carrying out the "push", the carrier 42 moving up and down collides with the rear end of the rack 14, and the carrier 42, its drive mechanism and the tableware 13 accommodated in the rack 14 are damaged. Can be prevented in advance.

As described above, in the dishwasher according to the embodiment, it is possible to realize efficient continuous washing of dishes requiring a large amount of washing, particularly in a large-scale eating facility such as a hotel having a large banquet hall or a large drive-in. it can. Further, since the dishes can be washed and stacked on the wagon continuously while the dishes are stored in the rack, labor saving and improvement of the working environment can be achieved.

Although the lifter device 37 and the wagon 67 are arranged on the left side of the dishwasher 10 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it may be arranged on the right side depending on the installation place. Is.

In addition, in the dishwasher arranged in series shown in FIG.
There is no rack feeding by the rack feeding mechanism shown in the figure, and other basic operations are almost the same as the above-mentioned embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 11, when the rack 14 is fed from the dishwasher 10 to the lifter device 37, the rack 14 relating to the next washing schedule is moved from the rack loading device 24 to the dishwasher.
By being forcibly loaded into 10, the so-called "pressed state"
It is done sequentially.

Furthermore, when transferring the rack 14 from the lifter device 37 to the wagon 67, a plurality of wagons 67 of the same standard (for example, three)
The racks 14 may be arranged in series and the racks 14 may be sequentially fed from the lifter device 37 to the shelf members 70 located at the same height of each wagon 67. Then, when the plurality of shelf members 70 at a certain height are full, the shelf member 70 of the next shelf is filled.
Move to rack feeding to. As a result, rack loading into a plurality of wagons 67 is automated, and a large amount of tableware can be continuously processed. In this case, the lifting / lowering sequence of the carrier 42 in the lifter device 37 can be easily performed only by changing the program in the control device.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, according to the rack loading method of the present invention, it is possible to continuously perform stacking work from dishwashing to the rack housing portion while the dishes are being stored in the rack. , Labor saving and improvement of working environment can be achieved. Further, since the rack carried out to the rack accommodating section is completely pushed by the carrier, the vertically moving carrier collides with the rear end of the rack and is housed in the carrier, its drive mechanism, and the rack. It is possible to prevent the existing tableware from being damaged.

Further, the dishwasher used in the method of the present invention requires only a slight modification to the existing product, and the existing general-purpose rack can be used as it is, so that the investment cost of the related equipment can be kept low. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a rack loading method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a rack loading device and a dishwasher shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a motor and an arm for pushing out a rack arranged in the washing machine, FIG. 4 is a side view showing a lifter device and a wagon, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an elevating stand in the lifter device. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lifting / lowering stand shown in FIG. 5, FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (f) are schematic perspective views showing movement over time when the dishwasher is operated, and FIG. 8 (a). ~
FIG. 9 (d) is a longitudinal side view of a main part showing a state in which a rack is loaded and unloaded by a loading device provided in the lifter device, and FIG. 9 (a) shows a state in which the rack is unloaded from the lifting platform to the wagon. FIG. 9 (b) is a vertical sectional side view of an essential part showing a state in which the rack is pushed into the wagon by raising the lifting / lowering platform after the rack has been carried out. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of another dishwashing apparatus in which the rack loading method is carried out, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the rack which has been washed in the dishwashing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is carried out to the lifter apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view. 10 ... Dishwasher, 13 ... Dish 14 ... Rack, 37 ... Lifter device 42 ... Conveyor, 54b ... Taper 62 ... Loading device, 67 ... Wagon 70 ... Shelf

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-56-72833 (JP, A) real-opening Sho-50-55355 (JP, U) real-opening Sho-62-126137 (JP, U) real-opening Sho-62- 177483 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rack (14) accommodating tableware (13) to be washed.
After loading the dishwasher into the dishwasher (10), the rack (14) on which the dishwashing with the dishwasher (10) has been completed is taken out from the dishwasher (10) and loaded into the rack storage (67). There is a lifter device (3 located next to the dishwasher (10).
7), the rack (14) is sent out, and the loading device (62) of the transfer body (42) that is provided in the lifter device (37) and can move up and down in a horizontal posture, is used for the dishwasher (10). ), The rack (14) sent out from the carrier (42) is pulled to a fixed position of the carrier (42), and the carrier (42) is moved up and down so as to be disposed on the rack sending side of the lifter device (37). Rack storage (6
The rack (14) placed on the carrier (42) adjacent to the required shelf members (70) arranged in multiple stages above and below 7),
The step of unloading to the required shelf member (70) by the loading device (62), and raising the carrier (42) after unloading of the rack (14) from the rack unloading position, Four
Send-out part (54b) formed at the end of rack accommodation part in 2)
And a step of bringing the rack (14) into contact with the rear end of the rack and completely pushing the rack (14) to a fixed position in the rack accommodating portion (67).