JP2010029530A - Method and device for reusing chopsticks - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for chopstick reuse, in which a lot of used chopsticks are efficiently and reliably washed, sterilized and dried at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: In this chopstick reuse method including a wash process for washing used chopsticks, a sterilization process for sterilizing them, and a dry process for drying them for reuse, a strainer (13) containing used chopsticks is set in a treatment container (11). In the wash process, the treatment container (11) is filled with washing water and the strainer (13) is rotated while being exposed to bubbles generated by a bubble generator tube (16). In the sterilization process, the strainer (13) is rotated while being rinsed out with ozone water. In the dry process, the strainer (13) is spin-dried at high speed and then air-dried by hot air. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for reclaiming chopsticks that is used for cleaning and sterilizing used chopsticks and drying, and a chopstick regenerator that is directly used in the implementation of this method, but is not limited thereto. For example, you can rent chopsticks, such as coated chopsticks, that consist of a relatively high-grade gripping part at the head and a picking part at the tip, to facilities such as restaurants, restaurants, and inns, and collect chopsticks used in such facilities. Thus, the present invention relates to a chopsticks reproduction method and a chopsticks reproduction apparatus suitable for use in a service in which collected chopsticks are regenerated and re-rented.

  As is well known in the art, disposable chopsticks are divided into two chopsticks when used in a meal and discarded when the meal is finished. Therefore, disposable chopsticks are guaranteed to be used only once, are clean, and can be manufactured at a relatively low cost in foreign countries using foreign wood and bamboo, especially in Japanese restaurants, restaurants, inns, etc. Widely used around. By the way, about 25 billion chopsticks are consumed in Japan, and the amount of chopsticks is equivalent to 17,000 to 20,000 building materials constructed in one year in Japan. With regard to disposable chopsticks that are consumed in large quantities in recent years, in countries of origin such as China, there is a concern about the environmental deterioration caused by the cutting of wood and bamboo, and restrictions on or cancellation of export of disposable chopsticks to Japan are being considered. It is becoming. In addition, since used disposable chopsticks are treated as waste, there are environmental problems and processing costs are high.

  Chopsticks that are not disposable chopsticks, that is, painted chopsticks, wooden chopsticks, bamboo chopsticks, plastic chopsticks, etc., are washed and dried by hand after use, and are repeatedly reused. Such reusable and reusable chopsticks are often used in the home, but in light of the circumstances surrounding the above-mentioned disposable chopsticks, the use of chopsticks as an alternative to disposable chopsticks is also being considered in restaurants, restaurants and inns. I'm starting. However, there are many used chopsticks in the Japanese restaurant as described above. If such chopsticks are immersed in a washing tank together with tableware, only chopsticks with a low specific gravity will spread and float throughout the washing tank, making it difficult and efficient to wash efficiently. Therefore, it is more expensive and time-consuming than disposable chopsticks. Also, unlike disposable chopsticks that are used only once, there is a problem that it is difficult to ensure that chopsticks that are reused are clean to the user.

  Therefore, you can rent relatively high-quality chopsticks such as coated chopsticks to a restaurant, collect the chopsticks used at the restaurant, recycle them by washing, sterilizing, drying, and packaging them one by one if necessary. A service to rent again to a restaurant is a promising business. If implemented in this way, a large amount of chopsticks can be processed efficiently and can be reproduced at low cost, so that an effect that can be rented at low cost can be expected. Furthermore, wrapping chopsticks one by one also ensures that the chopsticks are clean for the user.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a chopstick recycling apparatus that automatically cleans, dries and repackages plastic or wooden used chopsticks.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-276198

  As shown in FIG. 6, the chopsticks reproducing device 100 described in Patent Document 1 has a hopper 101 that discharges used chopsticks h, h,... Are provided with belt conveyors 102, 103, 104 for conveying the chopsticks h, h,..., A washing device 110 for washing the chopsticks h, h,... Being conveyed, a drying device 111, and a packaging device 113. When the used chopsticks h, h,... Are put into the hopper 101, the chopsticks h, h,... Are ejected one by one, and the belt conveyor 102 arranged in the horizontal direction and the chopsticks h, h,. And a pair of belt conveyors 103 and 104. The chopsticks h, h,... Transported in this way are first cleaned by spraying a cleaning liquid from shower nozzles 116, 116,... Provided in the cleaning device 110, and then attached to the drying device 111. Drying air is blown from the provided blower and dried. Finally, infrared rays are emitted from the infrared dryers 117,... And further dried and sterilized. The chopsticks h, h,... Processed in this way are transported to the packaging device 113 and wrapped so as to be sandwiched from above and below by the packaging films 121 and 121 drawn from the rolls 120 and 120. And the packaging films 121 and 121 are crimped | bonded by the crimping | compression-bonding apparatus 124, and the chopsticks h, h,. Finally, the packaging film 121 is cut by the cutting device 125 to obtain chopsticks hh, hh,.

  Also with the chopsticks reproducing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 1, once used chopsticks are washed, dried, and sterilized, so that they can be used again. Furthermore, since the chopsticks are packaged one by one, it is possible to guarantee that the chopsticks have been regenerated in a sanitary manner. However, there are drawbacks or problems to be improved.

  For example, the cleaning device 110 of the chopstick recycling apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 1 may not be sufficiently cleaned simply by spraying cleaning water onto the chopsticks conveyed by the belt conveyors 103 and 104. In other words, the used chopsticks may have dirt such as dried rice cakes and low-solubility animal oils and fats. It is difficult to remove dirt unless it is wiped or rubbed together, and the sprayed wash water is sprayed on the chopsticks just like a shower. This is because it may reattach to the surface. Therefore, in order to sufficiently clean the chopsticks with the cleaning device 110, the conveying speed of the belt conveyors 103 and 104 is extremely low, the conveying distance of the belt conveyors 103 and 104 is increased, and a number of shower nozzles 116 are provided. The cleaning water must be sprayed on the chopsticks for a long time, which is inferior in productivity and cost. In particular, when renting or leasing chopsticks, a business cannot be realized unless a large amount of chopsticks can be efficiently and inexpensively reproduced and provided to customers at low cost. There are also problems with drying and sterilization methods. Since chopsticks are dried and sterilized by infrared rays emitted from the infrared dryer 117, it is assumed that the surface of the chopsticks is heated by radiant heat of infrared rays. Some are deformed or deteriorated when heated, and cannot be applied to expensive chopsticks such as painted chopsticks. Furthermore, since the infrared rays do not easily hit the portion that is shaded by the radiant heat, the surface of the chopsticks is not always heated uniformly, so there is no guarantee that it will be sufficiently sterilized. There is also a problem with aligning the direction of the chopsticks. In other words, chopsticks have a relatively thick end on the handle side, that is, a grip portion, and a thin tip portion on the side that grips food, that is, a grip portion. There is no guarantee that the two chopsticks will be wrapped in the same direction because they are not specially provided. In order to wrap the chopsticks in the same direction, it is necessary to align the chopstick heads in advance when putting the chopsticks into the hopper 101. Manual alignment of the chopstick heads is labor intensive and complicated. Since it becomes cost, it cannot be implemented roughly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and it is possible to completely remove stains even though used chopsticks can be reprocessed in large quantities efficiently and at low cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a chopstick recycling method and a chopstick recycling device that can surely sterilize or sterilize the chopsticks without being altered or deformed. Another object of the present invention is to provide a chopstick recycling method and a chopstick recycling device that can be dried after cleaning and sterilization of chopsticks, and can be packed with a grip portion or a grip portion of chopsticks. Yes.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a cleaning process for cleaning used chopsticks, a sterilization process for disinfecting the chopsticks, and a drying process for drying the chopsticks. In the recycling method, the cleaning step is performed such that a basket containing used chopsticks is placed in a processing container and the chopsticks are cleaned. At this time, at least a part of the basket is contained in the processing container. A predetermined washing water is filled so as to be submerged, and the chopsticks are rotationally driven in a state where the chopsticks are kept substantially horizontal, and compressed air is jetted from below toward the ridges. The invention according to claim 2 is a method for reclaiming chopsticks, comprising: a washing step for washing used chopsticks; a sterilization step for disinfecting the chopsticks; and a drying step for drying the chopsticks. The chopsticks containing the used chopsticks are put in a processing container to sterilize the chopsticks, and at this time, the chopsticks are substantially The scissors are configured to be rotationally driven while maintaining a level. The invention according to claim 3 is a method for reclaiming chopsticks, comprising: a cleaning step for cleaning used chopsticks; a sterilization step for disinfecting the chopsticks; and a drying step for drying the chopsticks. In addition, the cocoon, which has been cleaned and sterilized, is dried together with the chopsticks. At this time, the heel is driven to rotate at a predetermined speed to drain water, and then the rotational speed is reduced and hot air is blown to dry. Configured to do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for reclaiming chopsticks according to the first aspect, in the sterilization step, the cleaning water is drained from the processing container, and sterilized water containing ozone gas is sprinkled into the basket. However, the chopsticks are driven to rotate in a state where the chopsticks are substantially horizontal, and the drying step drains the sterilizing water from the processing container, and the chopsticks are rotated at a predetermined speed. Then, the water is drained, and then the rotational speed is reduced, and hot air is blown onto the basket to dry it. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for reclaiming chopsticks according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the chopstick aligning step for aligning the chopstick head or the chopstick tip, and the chopsticks individually for each cup It is comprised so that the packaging process to package may further be included. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for reclaiming chopsticks according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a wrapping paper on which an advertising text or a pattern is printed is used in the packaging step, and The invention is configured as a chopstick regenerated by the method for regenerating chopsticks according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a cylindrical container that is supported so that the rotating shaft is horizontal in the processing container, the processing container filled with the cleaning water, the supply means for supplying the processing water to the processing container, and the processing container. , A rotation driving device for rotationally driving the basket, and bubble generating means for ejecting bubbles from the lower part in the processing container toward the bottle, and the used chopsticks are put in the bowl. It is configured to be cleaned in the processing container. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the chopstick recycling apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the treatment container is provided with ozone water supply means for supplying sterilized water in which ozone gas is dissolved. The chopsticks reproducing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the treatment container is placed in a basket and sterilized with the sterilizing water in the treatment container. Hot air supply means for supplying hot air is provided, and the cleaned and sterilized chopsticks are configured to be dried by the hot air supply means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the cleaning step of cleaning used chopsticks, the basket containing the used chopsticks is placed in a processing container and the chopsticks are cleaned, The processing container is filled with predetermined washing water so that at least a part of the basket is submerged and the chopsticks are driven to rotate while the chopsticks are kept substantially horizontal, so that the chopsticks are rubbed together in the basket. Even soils that are difficult to remove, such as animal fats, can be removed relatively easily. Furthermore, since the compressed air is jetted from below toward the revolvingly driven basket, the bubbles collide with the chopsticks vigorously, and the adhering dirt is adsorbed by the bubbles and separated from the chopsticks. Such dirt is discharged out of the basket along with the bubbles, so that the chopsticks can be washed efficiently. According to another invention, in the sterilization process for sterilizing chopsticks, water is sprayed with sterilized water containing ozone gas into the bowl in which the chopsticks are placed, and the bowl is stirred in the bowl while the chopsticks are kept substantially horizontal. Because it is driven to rotate, ozone water with high sterilizing power is uniformly sprinkled on the chopsticks, and the surface of the chopsticks can be reliably sterilized or sterilized without alteration or deformation. Is obtained. Further, according to another invention, in the drying step of drying the chopsticks, when the cleaned and sterilized used chopsticks placed in a predetermined basket are dried together with the basket, the basket is rotated at a predetermined speed. The water is then drained, and then the rotational speed is reduced and the hot air is blown to dry. Therefore, the water is sufficiently drained and dried, so that the drying process can be performed in an energy-saving manner. Therefore, even a large amount of chopsticks can be efficiently and inexpensively reproduced. Further, according to another invention, the method for regenerating chopsticks includes a chopstick aligning step for aligning the chopstick head or chopstick tip and a packaging step for individually packaging the chopsticks one by one. It is possible to regenerate high-quality chopsticks with different diameters and different weights, for example, lacquered chopsticks so that they can be used again in a sanitary manner, and the chopsticks are packaged. Can be guaranteed to be sanitized and reassuring to the user. According to the invention that uses a wrapping paper on which a general advertising text or design is printed on the wrapping paper of chopsticks, there is also an effect that it can be efficiently advertised to many customers who use chopsticks in a cafeteria etc. It is done.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. The chopsticks reproduction device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention collects rented chopsticks, cleans them, sterilizes them, dries them, and packs them one by one so that they can be rented again. It is composed of a device and is mainly provided in a chopstick recycling factory. As schematically shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, a used chopsticks management shelf UT, a recycled chopsticks management shelf RT, a chopsticks reproduction line 1 and the like are installed in the chopstick recycling factory. Yes. The chopstick recycling line 1 is composed of a chopstick cleaning device 2, a chopstick head alignment device 3, a chopstick packaging device 4, and a belt conveyor (not shown) that conveys between these devices. ing.

  First, the general operation of each apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The chopsticks H, H,... Rented and used at restaurants, restaurants, inns, etc. are collected in a transport box UHB and transported to a chopstick recycling factory. Such a transport box UHB containing used chopsticks is first weighed and the number of chopsticks is counted. That is, the number of chopsticks can be obtained by subtracting the weight of a known box from the weight of the transport box UHB containing used chopsticks and dividing the result by the weight per chopstick. The counted number of chopsticks is input as a record to a chopstick management computer or controller. The weighed transport box UHB with used chopsticks is placed on the used chopsticks management shelf UT and waits to be processed. At this time, the chopsticks H, H,... Are moistened by spraying or the like according to the state of dirt on the used chopsticks H, H,.

  One of the transport boxes UHB on the used chopstick management shelf UT containing a plurality of used chopsticks is lowered from the shelf UT. The chopsticks H, H,... Taken out from the transport box UHB containing the used chopsticks are collected in a number suitable for cleaning and are put into the chopstick cleaning apparatus 2. The chopsticks H, H,... Are washed for a predetermined time, sterilized, and dried. Since a plurality of chopstick washing devices 2 are usually installed in the chopstick regeneration line 1 and processed in parallel, a large amount of chopsticks H, H,... Are efficiently washed, sterilized and dried. Will be. The empty transport box is cleaned, sterilized and dried by a predetermined cleaning device or by human power so that recycled chopsticks can be put in, and then transported to the vicinity of the chopstick packaging device 4. The chopsticks H, H,... That have been cleaned, sterilized, and dried are conveyed to the chopstick head alignment device 3. The chopsticks H, H,... Are aligned in the chopstick head aligning device 3. The chopsticks H, H,... With the chopstick heads aligned are conveyed to the chopstick packaging device 4 and packaged one by one. The packaged chopsticks HH, HH,... Are put in a transport box. The transported box RHB containing the regenerated chopsticks is placed on the remanufactured chopsticks management shelf RT and waits for delivery to the user again for rental. The transported box RHB containing the regenerated chopsticks is taken down from the remanufactured chopstick management shelf RT at a predetermined timing and delivered to the user, and the number of rented chopsticks is input as a record to the chopstick management computer. .

  A chopstick cleaning apparatus 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The chopstick cleaning device 2 is a device for cleaning, sterilizing and drying chopsticks. As shown in FIG. 2A, the processing container 11, cleaning water, ozone water for sterilization, etc. Are placed in the processing container 11 by putting used chopsticks H, H,... In the processing container 11, a rotational driving device 14 for rotationally driving the collar 13, and bubbles are generated in the processing container 11. It comprises a bubble generating pipe 16 to be made, a hot air supply pipe 17 for supplying hot air for drying into the processing container 11 and the like.

  The processing container 11 is a water tank having a predetermined depth that is wider than the length of the chopsticks H, H,..., And the upper portion is opened, so that the chopsticks H, H,. It has become. The processing container 11 is provided with a hot water supply pipe 19, a room temperature water supply pipe 20, a detergent supply pipe 21, and an ozone water supply pipe 23 connected to the ozone generator 22, and the processing container 11 has a temperature of 30 to 70 ° C. Warm water, room temperature water at 5 to 25 ° C., detergent, and sterilized water in which ozone gas is dissolved are supplied. A three-way valve 26 is provided at the drain outlet 25 at the bottom of the processing container 11, and first and second drain pipes 28 and 29 are connected to the three-way valve 26. Therefore, if the drainage port 25 is closed by the three-way valve 26, the processing container 11 can be filled with warm water or the like, and if the three-way valve 26 is opened in a predetermined direction, the one of the first and second drainage pipes 28 and 29 is opened. It can be drained. The second drain pipe is connected to sewage through a sewage treatment tank provided outside, and the drained water is discarded, but the first drain pipe is a circulation tank 31 having a predetermined capacity. Since the circulation tank 31 is equipped with a filtration device, the drained water is purified and stored. The water in the circulation tank 31 is sent to the ozone generator 36 through the pump 32 and the water conduit 35, and ozone gas is supplied to generate sterilized water. Therefore, the water discharged from the first drain pipe 28 is reused as sterilizing water.

  A bubble generating pipe 16 to which compressed air is supplied from the outside is provided at the lower part of the processing container 11, and a large number of nozzle holes 37, 37,. Therefore, if the processing container 11 is filled with washing water composed of warm water and detergent and compressed air is supplied to the bubble generating tube 16, bubbles are ejected from the nozzle holes 37, 37,. A hot air supply pipe 17 for supplying predetermined hot air into the processing container 11 is opened in a part of the side wall below the processing container 11. Since the hot air supply pipe 17 is provided with a backflow prevention valve 39, the valve 39 is closed to prevent hot water and the like from entering the hot air supply pipe 17, and the hot water and the like in the processing container 11 are drained. It can be opened later and hot air can be supplied into the processing container 11. The opening part of the upper part of such a processing container 11 is covered with the cover 40 which can be opened and closed entirely.

  As will be described later, the chopsticks H, H,... Are placed in the basket 13 and cleaned, sterilized, and dried in the processing container 11, and the basket 13 is rotated by the rotary drive device 14. It is like that. The rotation drive device 14 includes a rod holding frame 41 in which the rod 13 is stored, a gear 42 provided on the rod holding frame 41, a pinion 44 that rotates the gear 42, an inverter-controlled motor 45 that can control the number of rotations, and the like. Become. As shown in FIG. 2A, the eaves holding frame 41 protrudes from the center of the cylindrical metal plate 47 to the outside with a predetermined length from the center of the cylindrical end plate. The two shafts 48 and 48 are formed, and a gear 42 is fixed to one shaft 48. The frame 47 is provided with a door 49 that can be opened and closed, and a fastener 51 is provided at a predetermined portion of the door 49. Therefore, when the bag 13 is put in the frame 47 and the door 49 is closed, the bag 49 is closed by the fastener 51 and the bag 13 does not jump out. The rod holding frame 41 is supported by shafts 48 and 48 so that the cylindrical shaft is horizontal by bearings 53 and 53 provided on the inner wall of the processing container 11. Therefore, when the motor 45 is driven, the heel holding frame 41 is rotationally driven via the pinion 44 and the gear 42, and the ridge 13 stored in the heel holding frame 41 also rotates, but it rotates just so that the rotation axis is horizontal. It will be.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the entire bowl 13 has a cylindrical shape, and chopsticks H, H,. The axial length of the bowl 13 is equal to the length of the chopsticks H, H,... Or longer than the chopsticks by a predetermined length, and the inner diameter of the bowl 13 is sufficiently shorter than the length of the chopsticks. Therefore, the chopsticks H, H,... Do not change the direction of the chopstick head and the chopstick tip in the basket 13. That is, for the chopsticks H, H,..., The grip portion and the grip portion are not reversed in the ridge 13.

  Such a saddle 13 is composed of a cylindrical frame 56 formed in a cylindrical shape from a wire-like metal rod. That is, the frame 56 is formed in a cylindrical shape from a pair of ring bodies formed in an annular shape from a metal rod having a predetermined diameter and a plurality of rod-like bodies connecting these ring bodies with a predetermined interval. Yes. A bottom plate 58 is attached to one ring body of the frame 56, and a lid 61 is attached to the other ring body by a hinge 59 so as to be freely opened and closed. The bottom plate 58 and the lid 61 are made of a cushioning material such as urethane so that the chopsticks H, H,... Put into the basket 13 are not damaged, and the lid 61 is provided with a clasp 62. A wire mesh 63 having a predetermined mesh is attached to the outside of the body portion of the frame 56 thus configured. The length of the metal mesh 63 in the axial direction is shorter than the length of the frame 56. Accordingly, openings 64 and 64 are formed in the vicinity of the bottom plate 58 and the lid 61 without the metal mesh 63 having a predetermined width, for example, about 2 cm. In addition, the metal rod constituting the frame 56 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 65, 65,...

  The operation of the chopstick cleaning device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Seriously, a preparation process for setting chopsticks H, H,... As shown in FIG. 3A, a predetermined number, for example, 100 chopsticks H, H,... At this time, it is not necessary to align the direction of the chopsticks. Close the lid 61. Then, the clasp 62 provided on the lid 61 is hooked on the frame 56 and the lid 61 is closed. The cover 40 of the chopstick cleaning device 2 is opened, and the door 49 of the basket holding frame 41 is opened. As shown in FIG. 2A, the bag 13 with chopsticks H, H,... Is put in the bag holding frame 41 and the door 49 is closed. The cover 40 is closed and the preparation process is completed.

  The chopstick cleaning device 2 is automatically operated by a controller provided therein when a button (not shown) is pressed, but can also be operated manually. In the following, the description will be made so as to be performed manually for easy understanding. The three-way valve 26 and the backflow prevention valve 39 are closed. A predetermined temperature, for example, 48 ° C. hot water is supplied from the hot water supply pipe 19, and a predetermined amount of detergent measured from the detergent supply pipe 21 is supplied. The supply of warm water is stopped when the processing container 11 is filled with washing water composed of warm water and detergent. If it does so, 50 to 70% of the whole sputum 13 will be immersed in the liquid with the filled washing water. Compressed air is supplied to the bubble generating tube 16. Bubbles are ejected vigorously from the nozzle holes 37, 37,. The motor 53 is driven at a predetermined rotational speed. The scissors 13 rotate integrally with the scissor holding frame 41, but the rotational speed of the motor 53 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the scissors 13 is 2 to 60 revolutions per minute. The chopsticks H, H,... Are hooked on the protrusions 65, 65,... Provided inside the basket 13, rotate together with the bowl 13, and drop when reaching a predetermined height. Therefore, the chopsticks H, H,... Are stirred while being rubbed against each other in the basket 13 while maintaining a substantially horizontal state. Bubbles generated from the bubble generating tube 16 collide with the chopsticks H, H,. The dirt adhering to the chopsticks H, H,... Is adsorbed by the bubbles. Dirt is discharged out of the ridge 13 through the openings 64 and 64 on both sides of the ridge 13 together with bubbles. Therefore, the chopsticks H, H,... Are rubbed against each other by the rotation, and the dirt is removed by the bubbles so that they are effectively washed. After washing for a predetermined time, for example, 1 minute, the rotation of the motor 53 is stopped, and the supply of compressed air to the bubble generating tube 16 is stopped. The three-way valve 26 is opened and the washing water is discharged from the second drain pipe 29. Thereby, the cleaning process is completed.

  Next, the sterilization process will be described. The three-way valve 26 is closed. While the motor 53 is driven to rotate the basket 13, sterilized water in which ozone gas is dissolved is supplied from the ozone water supply pipe 23. Then, the sterilizing water is sprayed uniformly on the chopsticks H, H,. After the lapse of 10 to 20 seconds, the supply of sterilizing water is stopped and normal temperature water, that is, fresh water is supplied from the normal temperature water supply pipe 20. The fresh water is uniformly sprinkled on the chopsticks H, H,... And the chopsticks H, H,. The supply of fresh water is stopped after 10 to 20 seconds, and the rotation of the motor 53 is stopped. The three-way valve 26 is opened and drained from the first drain pipe 28, and the water is sent to the circulation tank 31. When the water is relatively dirty, the water is drained from the second drain pipe 29 and discarded. Thereby, a sterilization process is complete | finished. As described above, the wastewater stored in the circulation tank 31 is filtered, pumped up by the pump 32, sent to the ozone generator 22, and the ozone gas is dissolved again to be reused as sterilizing water.

  Next, the drying process will be described. The motor 53 is driven to rotate the basket 13 at a high speed of 60 revolutions or more per minute. Then, the water droplets adhering to the chopsticks H, H,... Thereafter, the rotation speed of the motor 53 is switched to a low speed, for example, 3 to 4 rotations per minute. The backflow prevention valve 39 is opened, and warm air of a predetermined temperature, for example, 55 ° C. is blown into the processing container 11 from the warm air supply pipe 17. The chopsticks H, H,... Are dried while being rotated in the basket 13. When the chopsticks are dried, the backflow prevention valve 39 is closed and the rotation of the motor 53 is stopped. Thereby, a drying process is complete | finished. Open the cover 40. The door 49 of the heel holding frame 41 is opened and the ridge 13 is taken out. Open the lid 61 of the bowl 13 and take out the chopsticks H, H,. The chopsticks H, H,... Taken out are conveyed to the chopsticks head alignment device 3.

  The chopstick head alignment device 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the chopsticks head aligning device 3 generally includes a hopper 71 into which chopsticks H, H,... Are inserted, and chopsticks H, H, which are discharged from the hopper 71 one by one. Are conveyed at the downstream end of the belt conveyor 72, and are arranged at the downstream end of the belt conveyor 72 to align the heads of chopsticks H, H,.

  The belt conveyor 72 includes a belt 75 made of a rubber material, a drive roll 76 and driven rolls 77 and 77, and the belt 75 is wound around these rolls 76, 77 and 77. On the hopper 71 side, which is the upstream side of the belt conveyor 72, the belt 75 is inclined upward and the upper part is horizontal. On the surface of the belt 75, plate-shaped protrusions 79, 79,... For conveying one chopsticks H, H,... Are formed at predetermined intervals in the belt moving direction. The plate-like protrusions 79, 79,... Are provided so as to cross the belt 75 in the width direction, but are interrupted at substantially the center thereof. A gap 81 is formed at the abutting end of the plate-like protrusion 79 due to the interruption. The two plate-like projections 79, 79 that form a pair are formed over the entire circumference of the belt 75, and chopsticks are inserted between the plate-like projections 79 formed back and forth in the moving direction of the belt 75. It is like that. Further, since the gap 81 is formed between the plate-like protrusions 79, 79, the heads of the chopsticks can be aligned as will be described in detail later. Guide plates 82 and 82 for guiding chopsticks are provided on both sides of the belt 75 configured as described above.

  The head alignment plate 73 is made of a rectangular plate material. That is, the plate is folded at a predetermined angle at the midpoint of the long side of the plate. The fold line formed by the mountain fold is a distribution line 85. Slopes 86 and 86 descending on both sides of the distribution line 85 are formed. In addition, a projection 87 is formed so as to extend from the distribution line 85 and project toward the belt conveyor 75 side. Furthermore, chopstick fall-preventing plates 88 and 88 are provided at the ends of the slopes 86 and 86 on the opposite side of the protrusion 87. The chopsticks head aligning plate 73 is disposed on the most downstream side of the belt conveyor 72 so that the protrusions 87 face the belt conveyor 72. More specifically, when the belt conveyor 72 is driven, one set of projections 87 is provided so that the plate-like projections 79, 79 provided on the belt 75 do not interfere with the projections 87 of the chopstick head alignment plate 73. It arrange | positions so that it may be located in the clearance gap 81 of these plate-shaped protrusions 79 and 79. FIG.

  Next, the operation of the chopsticks head aligning device 3 will be described. Empty chopstick holders K and K are respectively installed below the two slopes 86 and 86 formed on the chopstick head alignment plate 73. The driving roll 76 is driven to drive the belt conveyor 72 in a predetermined direction. Chopsticks H, H,... Are put into the hopper 71. Then, the chopsticks H, H,... Are discharged from the hopper 71 to one, and are placed one by one between the adjacent plate-like protrusions 79, 79,. Thereby, it is put on the belt conveyor 72. The chopsticks H, H,... Are conveyed to the head aligning plate 73 by the belt conveyor 72 and placed on the protrusions 87 of the head aligning plate 73. At this time, the midpoints of the chopsticks H, H,... Are placed on the distribution line 85 from the projection 87, but the center of gravity of the chopsticks H, H,. Since the chopsticks H, H,... Placed on the protrusion 87 or the distribution line 85 are tilted to the head side of the chopsticks by gravity, the slopes 86, 86 of the head aligning plate 73 are pushed over the head of the chopsticks. Slide down. Accordingly, the chopstick receptacles K and K are placed with their chopstick heads aligned. When a predetermined number of chopsticks H, H,... Are placed in the chopstick receptacles K, K, the chopstick receptacles K, K are removed and conveyed to the chopstick packaging device 4. The chopsticks head alignment device 3 is provided with other empty chopstick receptacles K and K.

  Chopsticks H, H, ... with chopstick heads aligned are visually checked by the operator, and are removed as defective chopsticks if the surface is scratched or lacquered or painted. The Such defective chopsticks can be reused as new chopsticks if they are polished and repainted. Therefore, the removed defective chopsticks are stored in a predetermined box without being discarded and repaired by a craftsman or the like at a later date. The chopsticks H, H,... From which the defective chopsticks have been removed are transported to the chopstick packaging device 4, packed one by one with a predetermined wrapping paper, and placed in a transport box. The chopsticks H, H,... May be packaged in a bag shape that wraps the entire chopsticks, or may be packaged in a band shape so as to bundle the main parts of the chopsticks. When packaging the entire chopsticks in a bag shape, the chopsticks packaging device 4 is described in JP 2002-154507 A, JP 2002-68114 A, etc. in addition to the packaging device described in Patent Document 1. The chopsticks packaging device can be applied. For example, a feeding means for sending out a stack of wrapping paper to one sheet, a folding means for folding the sent wrapping paper into a U shape so that the upper part is opened, and a drying process in the folded wrapping paper The chopsticks can be supplied with a toothpick if necessary and can comprise means for sealing the open end of the wrapping paper. In such a chopstick packaging apparatus 4, the chopsticks H, H,... At this time, since the heads of the chopsticks H, H,... Are aligned by the chopsticks head alignment device 3, the chopsticks are not wrapped in different directions. As described above, as the wrapping paper, a bag-shaped wrapping paper for wrapping the entire chopsticks or a strip-shaped wrapping paper for wrapping so as to bundle the main parts of the chopsticks is applied. On such a wrapping paper, general advertisement texts, designs, patterns and the like are printed. The reproduced date and user name may be preferably printed in small characters. Alternatively, instead of packaging with printed wrapping paper, printing may be performed after packaging or a label printed on the wrapping paper may be attached. In this specification, “printed wrapping paper” includes these. An example of chopsticks wrapped with printed wrapping paper is shown in FIG. FIG. 5A shows an example of a chopsticks wrapping paper on which only an advertisement text is printed. FIG. 5A shows a user name 92 in addition to the advertisement text 91. An example of chopsticks wrapping paper is shown.

  The chopsticks reproducing device according to the present embodiment can be variously modified. For example, in the cleaning process, the scissors 13 are described as being 50% to 70% submerged in the cleaning liquid. However, the scissors 13 may be submerged completely or about 30%. You may make it do. The sterilizing water can be modified, and chlorine water or hypochlorous acid water can be applied instead of the water in which the ozone gas is dissolved. The shape of the collar 13 can also be modified. For example, although it has been described that the frame 56 of the ridge 13 is provided with two openings 64, 64, one opening may be provided in the center or three or more openings may be provided. . Furthermore, instead of providing the metal mesh 63 on the frame 56 of the cage 13, a resin plate having a plurality of holes with a predetermined diameter can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows typically the reproduction | regeneration apparatus of chopsticks concerning embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows typically the chopstick cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, The (a) is a front view which shows a chopstick cleaning apparatus typically, The (a) is a cocoon holding which is a component of a chopstick cleaning apparatus It is a perspective view which shows a frame typically. It is. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a bowl that is a component part of a chopstick cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) shows the bowl with the lid open, and (I) shows that the chopsticks are placed inside the lid. It is a perspective view which shows the wrinkles in the state where was closed, respectively. It is a perspective view which shows typically the chopsticks head aligning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the chopsticks packaged by implementation of this Embodiment, The (a) is the wrapping paper on which only the advertisement text was printed, The (a) was printed the advertisement text and the user name It is a top view which shows typically the chopsticks each wrapped with the wrapping paper. It is a sectional side view which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chopstick recycling apparatus 2 Chopstick washing apparatus 3 Chopstick head alignment apparatus 4 Chopstick packaging apparatus 11 Processing container 13 籠 14 Rotation drive device 16 Bubble generating pipe 17 Hot air supply pipe 19 Hot water supply pipe 20 Normal temperature water supply pipe 21 Detergent supply pipe 22 Ozone generator 23 Ozone water supply pipe H Chopsticks

Claims (10)

In a method for reclaiming chopsticks, including a washing step for washing used chopsticks, a sterilization step for disinfecting the chopsticks, and a drying step for drying the chopsticks,
The cleaning step is performed such that the basket with used chopsticks is placed in a processing container and the chopsticks are cleaned, and at this time, at least a part of the basket is submerged in the processing container. Reclaiming used chopsticks, wherein the chopsticks are driven to rotate while the chopsticks are filled with a predetermined washing water and the chopsticks are kept substantially horizontal, and compressed air is jetted from below toward the chopsticks. Method. In a method for reclaiming chopsticks, including a washing step for washing used chopsticks, a sterilization step for disinfecting the chopsticks, and a drying step for drying the chopsticks,
The sterilization step is performed such that a basket containing used chopsticks is placed in a processing container and the chopsticks are sterilized, and at this time, the chopsticks are sprinkled with sterilizing water containing ozone gas. A method for reclaiming used chopsticks, characterized in that the basket is driven to rotate in a state where the chopsticks are substantially level. In a method for reclaiming chopsticks, including a washing step for washing used chopsticks, a sterilization step for disinfecting the chopsticks, and a drying step for drying the chopsticks,
The drying process is carried out so as to dry with a bowl containing cleaned and sterilized chopsticks. At this time, the bowl is driven to rotate at a predetermined speed to drain water, and then the rotational speed is reduced to warm air. A method for recycling used chopsticks, characterized by spraying and drying. In the reproduction method of chopsticks according to claim 1,
In the sterilization step, the washing water is drained from the processing container, and the chopsticks are rotated and driven while the chopsticks are substantially kept horizontal while the sterilization water containing ozone gas is sprinkled on the basket. Carried out on
The drying step is performed such that the sterilizing water is drained from the processing container, the basket is driven to rotate at a predetermined speed to drain water, and then the rotational speed is decreased to blow the warm water on the basket to dry it. A method for recycling used chopsticks, characterized in that The method for reclaiming chopsticks according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a chopstick aligning step for aligning the chopstick head or the tip of the chopsticks, and a packaging step for individually wrapping the chopsticks one by one. Recycled used chopsticks feature. 6. The method for regenerating used chopsticks according to claim 5, wherein a wrapping paper on which an advertisement text or a pattern is printed is used in the packaging step. A chopstick regenerated by the method of reclaiming chopsticks according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A processing container filled with cleaning water, a supply means for supplying cleaning water to the processing container, a cylindrical basket supported so that the rotation axis is horizontal in the processing container, and the paddle for rotation A rotation driving device, and bubble generating means for ejecting bubbles from the lower part in the processing container toward the tub,
A chopsticks reproducing apparatus, wherein used chopsticks are placed in the basket and washed in the processing container. 9. The chopstick recycling apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing container is provided with ozone water supply means for supplying sterilized water in which ozone gas is dissolved, and the cleaned chopsticks are placed in the basket and placed in the processing container. The chopstick recycling apparatus is sterilized with the sterilizing water. 10. The chopstick recycling apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the processing container is provided with hot air supply means for supplying hot air, and the cleaned and sterilized chopsticks are dried by the hot air supply means. A chopsticks playback device, characterized in that

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