JPH08299501A - Golf ball washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make it possible to rapidly handle a large quantity of balls by disposing a ball storing layer, polishing layer and ball standby layer within a washing tank in such a manner that balls pass these layer successively from above to below and discharging the balls to the outside of the tank by means of a lifter erected from the base of the washing tank. CONSTITUTION: The washing tank 2 is hung in a casing 1. A ball charging section 4 and ball discharging section 5 respectively provided with shower units 3 are disposed in the upper part of this casing 1. A circular conical bottom plate 7 is installed at the washing tank 2 and a cylinder 12 forming the lifter 11 is installed projectingly penetrating through both upper and lower intermediate bottoms 9 and 10. Further, the part upper than the upper intermediate bottom 10 is formed in the ball storing layer 13 and the ball standby layer 14 is formed between the upper and lower intermediate bottoms 9 and 10 and the polishing layer 15 consisting of brushes is disposed therein. In addition, the balls B are charged from the ball charging section 4 into the ball storing layer 13, are further flowed into the polishing layer 15 and are dropped to the ball standby layer 14 and are discharged after the balls are risen from the lifter 11 to the ball discharging section 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for washing off mud, small gravel and the like adhering to a golf ball with a washing liquid, and is particularly applicable to washing a large number of golf balls used in golf driving ranges. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The following is known as a conventional cleaning device. (A) As described in JP-A-52-151262, a fixed brush and a rotating brush. (B) In JP-A-48-71069, a swirling cleaning plate is rotatably provided in a cleaning tank. (C) In Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-19709, means using a feed screw and a brush. (D) In Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 52-6828, balls are sent by a plurality of rotating brushes arranged in a row, during which washing, washing, polishing, and drying steps are performed. (E) Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 145662/58 discloses a device in which washed balls are sent by a bucket type vertical feed conveyor.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the case of the publication (a), a rotary brush facing a fixed brush is provided so as to be movable up and down, and one or several balls are received on the rotary brush and then lifted and cleaned. The cleaning process is intermittent and cannot be continuously processed. (B) In the gazette, a large number of balls can be successively washed, but soil and small gravel adhere to the balls. Is mixed in a large amount, and there is a possibility that the ball may be damaged when washed with a brush. In the case of the publication (c), a large number of balls can be processed continuously in the same manner, but the casing has an elliptical cross section, and a screw is installed at a position biased to the lower part from the center of its long axis,
Since the brush is provided on the upper peripheral surface in the housing, the ball is propelled while contacting the upper side of the screw with the brush, but the ball used at the driving range is different from that used at the golf course This practice ball is made of rubber, which is a little soft, and is sent in the direction of rotation during screw feeding, sent to the lower part of the housing, sandwiched between the inner wall surface of the housing, and sent. May stop. (D) In the publication, a ball is sent to one side by a number of rotating brush rolls to perform processing such as washing and drying. The processing capacity depends on the rotation speed of each brush roll. If it is too much, a complete cleaning process is not performed, and if it is too slow, there is a drawback that the demand for using the cleaned ball cannot be met. In the case of the (e) publication, the washed balls are sequentially conveyed by the vertical feed conveyor by the bucket, and therefore, in this case as well, as in the case of the (d) publication, there is a problem that the demand cannot be met. there were.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, in which the balls are washed while they are dropped from the top to the bottom, and the treated balls are stored in the lower part, and the balls are adjusted according to the demand quantity. It is intended to provide for the purpose of being able to supply and for promptly discharging washed soil.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The solution means of the present invention is provided with a cleaning liquid circulated in a cleaning tank through a strainer so that the cleaning liquid can flow from the upper side to the lower side. A polishing layer with a brush and a ball standby layer are sequentially arranged so that balls can be dropped and inserted between the layers, and a lifter is provided at the center of the cleaning tank so as to stand up from the bottom and protrude out of the cleaning tank. , In the cylinder along its axis 2
In addition to providing a rotating shaft that is driven to rotate by a motor,
Screw blades are fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder in a non-contact state with respect to the rotating shaft.Friction layers are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, respectively. The discharge window is provided between the blades of the screw blade.

[0006]

[Function] Since the ball storage layer, the brush polishing layer, and the ball standby layer are sequentially provided from the upper side to the lower side, and the cleaning liquid is made to flow downward, the balls are surely moved to each layer by their own weight and flow force. Will be able to flow in. In addition, a ball standby layer is provided at the lower part of the washing tank, and the ball is led out of the washing tank by a lifter.The lifter has a screw blade fixed to a cylinder, a rotating shaft passing through a shaft, and a rotating shaft rotating. Even when driven, the screw blades are not rotated, and since the friction layer is provided on the cylinder and the rotating shaft, when the ball is sent from the ball standby layer into the cylinder through the insertion window, the ball is moved inside the screw blade and the cylinder. It is securely inserted without being sandwiched between the peripheral surfaces, and at the same time when it is inserted, it is sandwiched between the cylinder and the friction layer of the rotary shaft that is rotationally driven, and is sequentially raised by the guide of the screw blade. Moreover, even when discharged from the discharge window, the discharge is performed without any abnormality. Further, since the rotary shaft of the lifter is driven by the second motor, and moreover, the ball standby layer is provided with a large number of balls, the rotation speed of the rotary shaft is adjusted to a desired amount of balls. Can be appropriately supplied.

The cleaning tank is provided with a ball throwing unit for supplying the balls to the ball reservoir, the ball throwing unit is provided with a shower unit, and the washing tank is provided with a ball discharging unit for receiving the balls discharged from the lifter. It is preferable to provide a shower unit and a drying unit in the.

[0008]

[Function] By performing pre-cleaning by the shower unit at the ball input section, most of the mud and small gravel are washed off, so the contamination of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank is largely prevented, and the balls are not damaged. Is done. In addition, since the ball is discharged from the ball discharge unit after being washed by the shower unit and dried, the ball can be used immediately.

In the polishing layer, bristles are applied to the surfaces of the upper disc and the lower disc which face each other, and either one of the upper and lower discs is fixed, and the other is rotatably provided. It is preferable to provide a guide pin that guides from the center to the outer periphery.

[0010]

[Function] Since one of the upper and lower discs is fixed and the other is rotatably provided, the ball moves on the outer peripheral side along the guide pin while rotating, and the contaminants firmly adhered between the balls are removed. It is polished at the same time as it is removed, and the balls are surely discharged to the outside of the polishing layer without remaining inside the polishing layer.

The friction layer provided on the cylinder and the rotating shaft of the lifter is preferably formed by rubber lining.

[0012]

If the friction layer is formed by the rubber lining, the balls can be reliably transferred without being scratched.

[0013]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a washing tank 2 is provided in a casing 1 in a state of being suspended from above, and a shower unit 3 is provided above the casing 1. A ball throwing unit 4 and a ball discharging unit 5 provided with a shower unit 3
And a drying unit 6.

The washing tank 2 has a cylindrical bottom plate 7 at the bottom, and a lower intermediate bottom 9 having a similar mortar shape and a large number of through holes 8 formed by punching slightly above the bottom plate 7. A mortar-shaped upper middle bottom 10 is provided in the middle of the tank 2 in the height direction, and a cylinder 12 that constitutes a lifter 11 from the bottom plate 7 is provided with a lower middle bottom 9 and an upper middle bottom 10.
And a ball storage layer 1 for receiving the ball B inserted from the ball input unit 4 above the upper intermediate bottom 10 of the cleaning tank 2.
3, the ball standby layer 14 is not provided between the upper and lower intermediate bottoms 9 and 10, and a polishing layer 15 made of a brush is provided in the ball standby layer 14, and the ball B is inserted from the ball storage layer 13 into the polishing layer 15. So that the upper middle bottom 10 and the cylinder 12
Has an insertion hole 16 between the outer peripheral surfaces thereof.

The cleaning tank 2 is filled with a cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge port 17 of the bottom plate 7 to the strainer 18.
And is circulated back to the upper part of the washing tank 2 through the pump 19.

Therefore, the ball B is thrown into the ball storage layer 13 from the ball throwing section 4, passes through the insertion hole 16, and is passed through the polishing layer 15.
The ball B that has flowed into the ball and is polished and discharged from the polishing layer 15 drops into the ball standby layer 14, and from there, the lifter 11
The ball B rises through and rolls to the ball discharger 5 and is discharged from the ball discharger 5, and the ball B is cleaned and dried during the rolling as described above. is there.

Next, the structure of the ball throwing section 4 will be described in order. The ball throwing section 4 projects from the upper end of one side wall of the casing 1 like a shelf as shown in FIGS. Then, at the upper opening of the gutter 20 is provided a running plate 21 in the shape of a saw slanted so that one side in the longitudinal direction is lowered,
The supply part 22 is provided at the end with the higher inclination, and the input part 23 for guiding the cleaning tank 2 to the end is extended at the end on the lower side.
Further, a pipe branched from the pump 19 is connected to the shower unit 3 provided above the traveling plate 21, and a drain pipe 24 leading to the strainer 18 is connected to the gutter 20.

Next, an overflow pipe 25 leading to the strainer 18 is provided above the ball storage layer 13, and a cleaning liquid tank 26 with an automatic supply valve is provided above the overflow pipe 25 so that the cleaning liquid is automatically replenished as the liquid decreases. It is supposed to do.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, the polishing layer 15 includes ring-shaped upper and lower discs 27 and 28 which are opposed to each other in a plane, and the upper disc 27 is rotatably provided. The lower disk 28 is fixedly provided, and several arms 29 are radially projected from the inner peripheral surface of the cleaning tank 2 toward the central cylinder 12, and the lower disk 28 is mounted on each arm 29. The brushes 30 are implanted on the opposing surfaces of the upper and lower disks 27 and 28, respectively. A guide pin 31 is provided on the upper disk 27 together with the brush 30 so as to draw a spiral or a tom. In addition, the balls B falling from the ball reservoir 13 through the insertion holes 16 are moved to the upper and lower disks 27, 2
A guide 32 formed in the shape of a skirt that widens toward the end is installed on the arm 29 so as to be guided between the eight.

In the mechanism for rotating the upper disk 27, as shown in FIG. 6, a sleeve shaft 33 is rotatably fitted around the outer periphery of the cylinder 12 standing upright in the central portion of the cleaning tank 2, and the sleeve shaft 33 The upper disk 27 is fixed to several projecting support rods 34, and a first motor 35 is connected to the upper end of the sleeve shaft 33 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear. Alternatively, the upper disk 27 may be fixed and the lower disk 28 may be rotated.

Therefore, through the guide 32, the upper and lower discs 27,
The ball B inserted between the 28 is washed by the upper and lower brushes 30 and is sent to the outer peripheral side by the guide pin 31, and the balls B discharged from between the upper and lower discs 27 and 28 are sequentially in the ball standby layer 14. , And then inserted into the cylinder 12 and sequentially raised by the lifter 11.

By the way, the lifter 11 faces the lowest position of the ball standby layer 14 in the cylinder 12 and the ball B.
Suppose that an insertion window 36 having a size that allows passage of light is provided, and if a conventionally known rotating screw is provided in the cylinder 12, the blade of the rotating screw causes the insertion window 36 to move.
There is a problem that the ball B is blocked or fully opened, and the ball B is not inserted at the time of blocking, and it is pinched to prevent the screw from rotating, or the ball B is damaged or damaged. Therefore, the ball has a unique structure so that the ball is always inserted normally into the cylinder 12 without any abnormality and sent upward.

As shown in FIG. 7, a rotating shaft 37 which stands upright is provided at the center of the cylinder 12, and the rotating shaft 37 has a rotating shaft 37.
A second motor 38 capable of controlling a rotation speed is connected to a tip portion protruding further upward through a transmission mechanism,
Screw blades 39 are fixed in the cylinder 12 to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 12 without being rotated by the rotating shaft 37, and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft 37 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 12 are respectively provided with a friction layer 40 by a rubber lining. 40 is attached.
A pair of the insertion windows 36 are provided on the surfaces of the cylinder 12 which face each other, and are provided at a portion which is not blocked by the fixed screw blades 39. Also, the cylinder 12
A discharge window 41 is provided in a portion projecting above the cleaning tank 2, and is guided to the ball discharge portion 5 via a guide bridge 42.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ball discharge portion 5 has a box 43 projecting from the side wall of the casing 1 in a shelf shape.
Like the ball throwing unit 4, on the upper surface of the, the slanting traveling plate 21 is provided on the gutter 20 provided with the drainage pipe 24 in an inclined manner, and the shower unit 3 is installed above the traveling plate 21.
A discharge path 44 that meanders and guides the ball B gradually downward is formed following the lower end of the inclined traveling plate 21, and the final end of the discharge path 44 is opened outward. The hot air from the drying unit 6 is discharged to the opening 4
4 is provided with a pipe to be inserted. The shower unit 3 of the ball discharge unit 5 uses clear water.

A heater 45 for heating the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 2 to an appropriate temperature and a temperature sensor 46 for controlling the heating temperature of the heater 45 are provided in the cleaning tank 2 so as to protrude.

In order to clean the ball B with the above-mentioned cleaning device, the cleaning liquid is filled in the cleaning tank 2, and the heater 45 and the temperature sensor 46 keep the temperature at a predetermined level.
9, the cleaning liquid is circulated through the strainer 18, and the first and second motors 35 and 38 are driven to rotate the upper disk 27 of the polishing layer 15 and the lifter 1
The rotary shaft 37 of No. 1 is driven to rotate. At the same time ball throwing unit 4
While operating the shower units 3 of the ball discharge unit 5 and driving the drying unit 6, a large number of balls B are thrown in from the ball throwing unit 4. The balls B thus thrown into the shower unit 3 are washed away of mud, sand, etc., and the ball reservoir 13 in the cleaning tank 2 is washed.
It is thrown in.

The balls B thrown in as described above fall downward through the insertion holes 16 provided in the bottom of the ball storage layer 13, and are guided between the upper and lower disks 27, 28 of the polishing layer 15 by the skirt-shaped guide 32. As the upper disk 27 rotates, the upper and lower brushes 30 remove mud and the like strongly adhered to the balls B, and the guide pins 31 guide the balls B to the outer peripheral side. It is received by the intermediate bottom 9 and guided to the insertion window 36 provided in the cylinder 12.

Further, the ball B that has entered the insertion window 36 is
The rotation of the rotary shaft 37 provided with the friction layer 40 formed of rubber lining and the frictional layer 40 formed of the same rubber lining provided on the inner surface of the cylinder 12 and the screw blade 3
The ball B is sequentially lifted by the guidance of 9, and the ball B reaching the uppermost portion and discharged from the discharge window 41 is guided to the ball discharge portion 5, where the washing liquid is washed off by the shower unit 3 and further passes through the discharge passage 44. During drying, the drying unit 6 successively dries and discharges the hot air.

The rotating shaft 37 is connected to the second motor 3
It is driven by 8 and its rotational speed can be changed, so the speed is adjusted according to the demand of the ball.

[0030]

According to the golf ball cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning tank filled with the cleaning liquid is provided so that the balls pass through the ball storage layer, the polishing layer and the ball standby layer in order from top to bottom. The ball is discharged from the cleaning tank by a lifter that stands up from the bottom of the tank, and since the cleaning liquid flows through the strainer from the top to the bottom of the cleaning tank, the balls are continuously transferred from the ball storage layer to the polishing layer. The balls polished by the polishing layer are successively flowed down to the ball standby layer and stored, and then continuously lifted by the lifter to be discharged from the cleaning tank. Therefore, it becomes possible to surely deal with a case where a large number of balls are required at once in a golf driving range or the like.

Further, in the lifter, screw blades are fixed in the cylinder, and a rotating shaft not in contact with the screw blades is rotationally driven by a second motor, and a friction layer is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder and the outer surface of the rotating shaft. Since the insertion window opened at the bottom of the cylinder and the discharge window opened at the top are provided between the upper and lower blades of the screw blade, the balls inserted from the insertion window will not get caught between the cylinder and the blade, and The ball can be conveyed without being damaged even when it is placed on the upper surface of the blade and discharged from the cylinder. Moreover, the balls are sandwiched between the cylindrical friction layer and the rotary shaft friction layer, so that the balls can be sequentially and reliably lifted up using the screw blades as a guide without slipping.

If the ball is washed by a shower before the ball is put into the washing tank, most of the mud and small gravel are eliminated, so that the contamination of the washing liquid in the washing tank can be suppressed. In addition, in combination with the fact that the cleaning liquid is circulated through the strainer, it is possible to reliably prevent the ball from being damaged. Further, the balls discharged from the lifter are further washed with a shower, dried, and discharged, so that the balls are immediately used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a golf ball cleaning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a structure of a ball throwing unit.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper disk of the polishing layer.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a lower disk of the polishing layer.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure for rotating a polishing layer.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a lifter.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a ball discharge unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Washing tank 3 Shower unit 4 Ball input part 5 Ball discharge part 6 Drying unit 11 Lifter 12 Cylinder 13 Ball storage layer 14 Ball standby layer 15 Polishing layer 18 Strainer 27 Upper disc 28 Lower disc 30 Brush 31 Guide pin 36 Insertion window 37 Rotation Shaft 38 Second motor 39 Screw blade 40 Friction layer 41 Discharge window

Claims (4)

[Claims] A cleaning liquid is circulated in a cleaning tank (2) via a strainer (18) so as to be able to flow from top to bottom,
In the washing tank (2), the ball reservoir (1
3), a polishing layer (15) with a brush (30), and a ball standby layer (14) are sequentially arranged so that balls can be dropped and inserted between the layers, and a lifter (11) is provided at the center of the cleaning tank (2). Is provided so as to stand upright from the bottom so as to project outside the cleaning tank (2), and the lifter (11) has a rotating shaft (3) that is rotationally driven by a second motor (38) along the axis of the cylinder (12).
7), a screw blade (39) is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder (12) in a non-contact state with respect to the rotating shaft (37), and the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder (12) and the rotating shaft (37) are fixed. A friction layer (40) on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, an insertion window (36) below the cylinder (12) and a discharge window (41) above the cylinder,
A golf ball cleaning device, characterized in that each is provided corresponding to each blade of the screw blade (39). 2. The cleaning tank (2) is provided with a ball throwing section (4) for supplying balls to the ball storage layer (13), and the ball throwing section (4) is provided with a shower unit (3), A ball discharge part (5) for receiving balls discharged from the lifter (11) is provided in 2), and the shower unit (3) and the drying unit (6) are provided in the ball discharge part (5).
The golf ball cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The polishing layer (15) has bristles on opposite surfaces of an upper disk (27) and a lower disk (28), respectively, and one of the upper and lower disks can be fixed and the other can be rotated. The golf ball cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a guide pin (31) for guiding the ball from the center to the outer periphery on the flocked surface on the rotation side. 4. A cylinder according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder (12) of the lifter (11) and the friction layer (40) provided on the rotary shaft (37) are formed by rubber lining. Golf ball cleaning equipment.