JP6271850B2 - Medium cleaning apparatus and medium cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium cleaning apparatus and a medium cleaning method for cleaning a sheet-like medium on which information such as characters is recorded.

  Information such as characters is recorded on the outer surface of a sheet-like medium such as a card or sheet with a built-in RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) chip so that the user can visually recognize part of the information. Sometimes. Information recorded on the outer surface of such a medium can be reused by erasing and rewriting new information together with electronic information recorded on the RFID. Such a reusable medium is called a rewritable sheet or the like.

  Information such as characters recorded on the outer surface of the medium is generally printed by heating with a thermal head, but may be displayed with ink such as a sign pen. Here, display with the above ink, light dirt (for example, dirt, dust, dust, etc.) adhering to the use of the medium, and oil that may be adhering when the medium is used in a manufacturing site in a factory. In order to erase (for example, rust preventive agent, machine oil, etc.), for example, a medium cleaning device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used.

  The medium cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a medium is passed between upper and lower cleaning rollers to which a cleaning liquid is attached, thereby cleaning both surfaces of the medium with the cleaning liquid attached to each cleaning roller.

JP 2011-72918 A

  However, when the medium is used, for example, at a manufacturing site in a factory, or when the usage environment of the medium is variously different, the degree of adhesion of dirt differs for each medium. In such a case, even in the medium cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it may not be possible to remove the dirt only by cleaning once.

  In such a case, the operator can visually check the remaining degree of dirt on the medium after washing, and if the dirt is not completely removed, the medium can be put into the medium washing apparatus again and washing can be repeated. However, it goes without saying that this takes time.

  In addition, prior to loading the medium into the medium cleaning apparatus, the operator can visually check the degree of contamination of the medium and set the cleaning time so as to change the medium cleaning time accordingly. However, in this case, the adjustment of the cleaning time depends on the skill of the operator and the like, and appropriate adjustment cannot always be performed. For example, even if the cleaning time is increased, the dirt may not be completely removed. Conversely, if the cleaning time is too long, the consumption of the cleaning liquid increases even if the dirt is sufficiently removed, which is uneconomical.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a medium cleaning apparatus and a medium cleaning method capable of adjusting the cleaning conditions appropriately according to the degree of soiling of the medium and performing the cleaning of the medium reliably and at low cost. .

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
That is, the present invention is a medium cleaning apparatus for cleaning a sheet-like medium by a cleaning unit provided along the transport path while transporting the sheet-shaped medium along a predetermined transport path, the medium being upstream of the cleaning unit. It has a detection part which detects the level of dirt, and a control part which adjusts cleaning conditions of the medium in the cleaning part according to the level detected by the detection part.

  The present invention is also a medium cleaning method for cleaning a sheet-like medium while transporting it along a predetermined transport path, the step of detecting the level of contamination of the medium, and the level of the detected contamination. Accordingly, the method includes a step of adjusting the cleaning condition of the medium, and a step of cleaning the medium with the adjusted cleaning condition.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately adjust the cleaning conditions according to the degree of contamination of the medium, and to perform the cleaning of the medium reliably and at low cost.

It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the medium washing | cleaning apparatus concerning 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the medium washing | cleaning method concerning 2nd this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the medium washing | cleaning apparatus concerning 3rd embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the structure of the medium supply part and detection part of a medium washing | cleaning apparatus. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the medium supply unit illustrated in FIG. 4 is operating. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the structure of the test | inspection part and medium discharge part of a medium washing | cleaning apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flow of the sheet | seat cleaning method concerning 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow following FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out a medium cleaning apparatus and a medium cleaning method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited only to these embodiments.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a medium cleaning apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the medium cleaning apparatus 10 cleans a sheet-like medium 100 by a cleaning unit 20 provided along the transport path R while transporting the sheet-shaped medium 100 along a predetermined transport path R. The medium cleaning apparatus 10 detects a level of contamination of the medium 100 upstream of the cleaning unit 20 and adjusts the cleaning conditions of the medium 100 in the cleaning unit 20 according to the level detected by the detection unit 30. And a control unit 40.

  According to this medium cleaning apparatus 10, prior to cleaning of the medium 100, the detection unit 30 detects the level of contamination of the medium 100, and based on this, the control unit 40 adjusts the cleaning conditions of the medium 100 in the cleaning unit 20. I did it. Thereby, in the washing | cleaning part 20, since the medium 100 can be wash | cleaned on the suitable washing | cleaning conditions according to the dirt level of the medium 100, the medium 100 can be wash | cleaned reliably and a cleaning agent is consumed excessively. Without cost, cost reduction can be achieved.

(Second embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of a medium cleaning method according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of the medium cleaning method according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, a medium cleaning method for cleaning a medium while conveying the medium along a predetermined conveyance path, the step of detecting the level of dirt on the medium (step S1), and the level of detected dirt And a step (step S2) of adjusting the cleaning conditions of the medium according to the above and a step of cleaning the medium (step S3) under the adjusted cleaning conditions.

  According to this medium cleaning method, the medium can be cleaned under an appropriate cleaning condition according to the level of dirt on the medium, so that the medium can be reliably cleaned and without excessive consumption of the cleaning agent, Cost reduction can be achieved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the medium cleaning apparatus and the medium cleaning method according to the present invention will be described. Note that in the third embodiment described below, the same reference numerals in the drawing denote the same components as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the medium cleaning device according to the third embodiment. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part showing the configuration of a medium supply unit and a detection unit of the medium cleaning device, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the medium supply unit shown in FIG. 4 is operated, and FIG. 6 is a medium cleaning device. It is a principal part enlarged view which shows the structure of this inspection part and a medium discharge | emission part.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the sheet cleaning apparatus 10 includes a sheet supply unit 50 that supplies the sheet 100 to the conveyance path R from the upstream side toward the downstream side along the conveyance path R of the sheet 100, and the sheet 100 A detection unit 30 for detecting the level of dirt, a cleaning unit 20 for cleaning the sheet 100, an inspection unit 60 for inspecting the level of dirt on the cleaned sheet 100, a sheet discharge unit 70 for discharging the sheet 100, It has.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the sheet supply unit 50 detects a hopper table 51 on which a plurality of sheets 100 to be cleaned are stacked and the presence or absence of the sheet 100 on the hopper table 51. Sheet detecting sensor 52 for detecting the hopper table 51, a hopper raising sensor 53 for detecting that the hopper table 51 has been raised to a predetermined position, and feeding rollers 54A and 54B for feeding the sheets 100 on the hopper table 51 one by one along the conveying path R. And.

The hopper table 51 is driven up and down in the vertical direction by an elevator mechanism (not shown) while being in a horizontal plane. The operation of the elevating mechanism is controlled by the control unit 40 that controls the operation of the entire sheet cleaning apparatus 10, and the hopper table 51 can be sequentially raised at a pitch corresponding to the thickness of the sheet 100.
Further, the hopper table 51 is formed with a through hole 51a penetrating the top and bottom.

  In the sheet detection sensor 52, a sensor arm 52b is provided on a sensor main body 52a disposed above the hopper table 51 so as to be swingable in a vertical plane. The sensor arm 52b is provided such that the tip 52c faces obliquely downward with respect to the sensor body 52a. When the sheet 100 is not mounted on the hopper table 51, the sheet detection sensor 52 has a tip 52c of the sensor arm 52b in the through hole 51a of the hopper table 51, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. The sensor arm 52b is provided so as not to swing when the is inserted. When the sheet 100 is mounted on the hopper table 51, the hopper table 51 is raised, and the uppermost sheet 100 is raised to the same level as the conveyance path R, so that a solid line in FIG. As shown, the front end 52c of the sensor arm 52b hits the upper surface of the sheet 100 and is pushed upward. The sensor main body 52a detects the swinging motion of the sensor arm 52b at this time, and outputs a predetermined detection signal to the control unit 40.

The hopper raising sensor 53 includes a support arm 53a that supports the feed roller 54A, a rod 53b that is provided integrally with the support arm 53a and extends in the vertical direction, a sensor body 53c that detects the vertical movement of the rod 53b, It has.
When the uppermost sheet 100 mounted on the hopper table 51 rises to a level slightly below the conveying path R, the feeding hopper 54 abuts the feeding roller 54 </ b> A on the upper surface of the uppermost sheet 100. It is like that. When the hopper table 51 is further raised, the support arm 53a and the rod 53b are raised together with the feed roller 54A. The position of the rod 53b when the uppermost sheet 100 is raised to the same level as the conveyance path R is detected by the sensor body 53c, and a predetermined detection signal is output to the control unit 40.

  The feed rollers 54A and 54B are rotationally driven in a predetermined direction by a motor (not shown), and the uppermost sheet 100 at the same level as the transport path R is detected by the hopper table 51 along the transport path R. Send to 30. The feeding operation of the feeding rollers 54A and 54B is controlled by the control unit 40, the sheet 100 is mounted on the hopper table 51 by the sheet detection sensor 52, and the uppermost sheet 100 is mounted by the hopper raising sensor 53. Is detected to rise to the same level as the transport path R, the sheet 100 is fed out.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 20 performs three-stage cleaning, for example, cleaning using a surface active cleaning solution, cleaning using an alkaline cleaning solution, and cleaning using water. As a mechanism for performing each of these cleanings, the cleaning unit 20 includes a first cleaning mechanism 20A, a second cleaning mechanism 20B, and a third cleaning mechanism 20C in order along the transport path R from the upstream side to the downstream side. The first cleaning mechanism 20A performs cleaning using a surface active cleaning liquid. The second cleaning mechanism 20B performs cleaning using an alkaline cleaning liquid. The third cleaning mechanism 20C performs cleaning using water. Each mechanism is structurally similar except that the type of cleaning liquid used is different.

  The first cleaning mechanism 20A, the second cleaning mechanism 20B, and the third cleaning mechanism 20C are respectively provided with upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and an upper wiping roller that are disposed above the transport path R at intervals along the transport direction. 21c, and a roller group 21 including lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e and a lower wiping roller 21f disposed below the transport path R so as to face the upper cleaning rollers 21a, 21b, and 21c. The roller group 21 is rotationally driven by controlling the operation of a motor (not shown) by the control unit 40.

  A cleaning liquid tank 22 is installed below the upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e. A surface-active cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 22 of the first cleaning mechanism 20A, an alkaline cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 22 of the second cleaning mechanism 20B, and is stored in the cleaning liquid tank 22 of the third cleaning mechanism 20C. The water is contained.

A nozzle 23 is provided between the upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e. The nozzle 23 is connected to the cleaning liquid tank 22 via a lower hose 24, a pump 25, and an upper hose 26, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 22 is sucked up by the pump 25, and a nozzle (not shown) formed in the nozzle 23. The cleaning liquid is sprayed from the holes to the upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e. In this way, the cleaning liquid adheres to the surfaces of the upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e.
As the cleaning liquid adheres to the surface and the sheet 100 passes between the upper cleaning rollers 21a and 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d and 21e that are rotationally driven, the surface of the sheet 100 is cleaned with the cleaning liquid.
An opening (not shown) that opens upward is formed in the upper part of the cleaning liquid tank 22, and the cleaning liquid that flows downward from the upper cleaning rollers 21 a and 21 b and the lower cleaning rollers 21 d and 21 e is collected in the cleaning liquid tank 22. . As a result, the cleaning liquid can be circulated.

  The upper wiping roller 21c and the lower wiping roller 21f arranged on the downstream side of the upper cleaning rollers 21a, 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d, 21e are formed on the sheet 100 by the upper cleaning rollers 21a, 21b and the lower cleaning rollers 21d, 21e. Wipe off the cleaning solution adhering to the upper and lower surfaces.

  Further, on the most upstream side of the cleaning unit 20, a pair of upper and lower conveying rollers 27 a and 27 b that convey the sheet 100 and a passage detection sensor 28 that detects the sheet 100 that has passed through the conveying rollers 27 a and 27 b are provided. The passage detection sensor 28 outputs a predetermined signal to the control unit 40 when detecting the sheet 100 sent from the conveyance roller 27. When receiving a signal from the passage detection sensor 28, the control unit 40 operates the roller group 21 and the pump 25 to start cleaning the sheet 100.

  The cleaning unit 20 causes the sheet 100 to sequentially pass through the first cleaning mechanism 20A, the second cleaning mechanism 20B, and the third cleaning mechanism 20C, thereby cleaning and wiping with a surface-active cleaning liquid, cleaning and wiping with an alkaline cleaning liquid, Wash and wipe with water sequentially.

  In addition, the cleaning unit 20 may include an RFID read / write unit 29 that erases electronic information stored in an RFID tag provided on the sheet 100 on one side of the conveyance path R.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the detection unit 30 is provided on the upstream side of the cleaning unit 20. The detection unit 30 includes conveyance rollers 31a and 31b that convey the sheet 100 along the conveyance path R, a passage detection sensor 32 that detects passage of the sheet 100 fed by the conveyance rollers 31a and 31b, and conveyance rollers 31a and 31b. A step number counting unit 33 that counts the number of driving steps of the motor that drives the toner, and a contamination level determination unit 34 that determines the contamination level of the sheet 100 fed by the conveying rollers 31a and 31b. Here, the step number counting unit 33 and the dirt level determination unit 34 are functionally realized by a computer device together with the control unit 40.

  The conveyance rollers 31a and 31b are arranged opposite to each other above and below the conveyance path R, are rotated by a motor (not shown), and rotate while contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet 100 to convey the sheet and 100. Here, when the surface of the sheet 100 is dirty, particularly when it is dirty with an oil component such as a rust preventive agent or machine oil, the conveying rollers 31a and 31b slide between the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet 100 (slip). Occurs.

The passage detection sensor 32 switches the signal ON / OFF when the leading edge 100a and the trailing edge 100b of the sheet 100 sent out by the conveying rollers 31a and 31b pass, and thereby the passage timing of the leading edge 100a and the trailing edge 100b. Is detected.
The step number counting unit 33 drives the motors that drive the conveyance rollers 31a and 31b from when the passage detection sensor 32 detects passage of the leading end 100a of the sheet 100 until detection of passage of the trailing end 100b. The number of steps p2 is counted. The counted drive step number p2 is proportional to the rotation amount (rotation circumferential length) of the transport rollers 31a and 31b. That is, if the slip amount of the sheet 100 is large, the conveyance rollers 31a and 31b require a larger amount of rotation to send the sheet 100 from the leading end 100a to the trailing end 100b, and the number of driving steps p2 increases accordingly. .

The contamination level determination unit 34 determines the contamination level of the sheet 100 sent out by the conveyance rollers 31a and 31b by comparison with a reference value.
That is, when the sheet 100 that has not been contaminated and has been sufficiently cleaned is sent out by the conveying rollers 31a and 31b, the number of driving steps counted by the step number counting unit 33 is set as the reference value p1, and the dirt level is determined. The unit 34 stores this reference value p1 in advance.
Here, the reference value p1 may be set by using a new sheet 100 or a sheet 100 that can be visually recognized as being sufficiently soiled and actually transporting with the transport rollers 31a and 31b. The theoretical value determined by the length, material, etc. of the sheet 100 may be used as the reference value p1 as it is.

Then, the degree of contamination of the sheet 100 is evaluated at a plurality of levels according to the ratio of the actually counted driving step number p2 to the reference value p1.
For example,
Number of drive steps p2 ≦ threshold value s1 (= reference value p1 × 1.2): Dirt condition “small”
Threshold value s1 <number of drive steps p2 ≦ threshold value s2 (= reference value p1 × 1.5): Dirt condition “medium”
Threshold value s2 <number of drive steps p2: Dirt condition “large”
And so on.
The contamination level determination unit 34 uses the evaluation result of this level as a detection result of the contamination level of the sheet 100 and transmits the detection result to the control unit 40.

The control unit 40 adjusts the cleaning condition of the sheet 100 in the cleaning unit 20 in accordance with the level of dirt detected by the detection unit 30. Specifically, the control unit 40 adjusts the cleaning conditions by changing the length of time that the sheet 100 passes through the cleaning unit 20.
As a more specific example, a plurality of cleaning modes as exemplified below are set in advance.
When the degree of dirt is “small”: It is determined that the sheet 100 is not so dirty, and the sheet 100 is transported at the washing unit 20 to increase the cleaning speed with the minimum necessary cleaning liquid (normal cleaning mode).
When the level of dirt is “medium”: it is determined that the sheet 100 is severely soiled, and the conveying speed of the sheet 100 in the cleaning unit 20 is decreased and cleaning is performed with a large amount of cleaning liquid (high cleaning mode).
When the degree of contamination is “large”: It is determined that the contamination of the sheet 100 is quite severe, the conveyance speed of the sheet 100 in the cleaning unit 20 is reduced, and the cleaning unit 20 is reciprocated to perform cleaning (strong cleaning mode).
Note that the plurality of cleaning modes illustrated in the above, in which the conveyance speed of the sheet 100 and the amount of cleaning liquid differ according to the degree of contamination, are stored in the storage unit set in the control unit 40.
Then, the control unit 40 selects a cleaning mode corresponding to the evaluation result of the contamination level of the sheet 100 determined by the contamination level determination unit 34 from the plurality of stored cleaning modes. Then, the control unit 40 drives the roller group 21 and the pump 25 of the cleaning unit 20 in the selected cleaning mode.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the inspection unit 60 is provided on the downstream side of the cleaning unit 20. The inspection unit 60 includes conveyance rollers 61a and 61b that convey the sheet 100 along the conveyance path R, a passage detection sensor 62 that detects passage of the sheet 100 fed by the conveyance rollers 61a and 61b, and conveyance rollers 61a and 61b. A step number counting unit 63 that counts the number of driving steps of the motor that drives the motor, and a cleaning state determination unit 64 that determines whether the cleaning of the sheet 100 sent out by the conveying rollers 61a and 61b is good or bad. Here, the step number counting unit 63 and the cleaning state determination unit 64 are functionally realized as a part of the computer device together with the control unit 40.

  The conveyance rollers 61a and 61b are arranged opposite to each other above and below the conveyance path R, are rotated by a motor (not shown), and rotate while contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet 100 to convey the sheet and 100.

The passage detection sensor 62 switches the signal ON / OFF when the leading edge 100a and the trailing edge 100b of the sheet 100 sent out by the conveying rollers 61a and 61b pass, and thereby the passage timing of the leading edge 100a and the trailing edge 100b. Is detected.
The step number counting unit 63 drives the motors that drive the conveyance rollers 61a and 61b from when the passage detection sensor 62 detects passage of the leading end 100a of the sheet 100 until detection of passage of the trailing end 100b. The number of steps p3 is counted.

The cleaning state determination unit 64 determines the quality of the cleaning state of the sheet 100 that has passed through the cleaning unit 20 based on the reference value p1 that is also used to determine the degree of contamination.
For example,
When the number of driving steps p3 ≦ reference value p1: It is determined that the sheet 100 is clean and has been cleaned normally.
When the number of driving steps p3> the reference value p1: It is determined that the sheet 100 is not completely soiled.
The cleaning state determination unit 64 transmits the determination result to the control unit 40. Based on the transmitted determination result, the control unit 40 discharges the sheet 100 to the sheet discharge unit 70 when the cleaning is performed normally. On the other hand, when the cleaning is not performed normally, the sheet 100 is returned to the cleaning unit 20 and cleaning is performed again.

  In addition, the inspection unit 60 may include an erasing head 67 for erasing the display when printing or the like is displayed on the surface of the sheet 100 by the thermal printing technique. The erasing head 67 erases the display by contacting the surface of the sheet 100 while applying heat to the surface of the sheet 100.

  The sheet discharge unit 70 includes a transport roller 71a, 71b that transports the sheet 100 along the transport path R, a passage detection sensor 72 that detects the passage of the sheet 100 fed by the transport rollers 71a, 71b, and a normal cleaning. A stacker 73 that collects the sheet 100 that has been made, and an abnormal product stacker 74 that collects the sheet 100 that has been determined not to be properly cleaned.

  The passage detection sensor 72 transmits a predetermined signal to the control unit 40 when the passage of the rear end of the sheet 100 is detected. Then, the control part 40 can stop operation | movement of the roller group 21, the pump 25 grade | etc.,.

  Further, the stacker 73 and the abnormal product stacker 74 can be moved alternately by a moving mechanism (not shown) to a position where the sheet 100 fed from the transport rollers 71a and 71b can be received. When it is determined that the cleaning is normally performed based on the determination result in the inspection unit 60, the stacker 73 collects the sheet 100, and when it is determined that the cleaning is not normally performed, the abnormal product stacker is recovered. At 74, the sheet 100 is collected.

Next, a sheet cleaning method in the sheet cleaning apparatus 10 as described above will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a flow of the sheet cleaning method according to the present embodiment.

First, in the sheet supply unit 50, one or more sheets 100 are mounted on the hopper table 51, and the sheet cleaning apparatus 10 is operated.
And it is determined whether both the sheet | seat detection sensor 52 and the hopper raising sensor 53 are ON (step S101).
As a result, as long as both are not turned on, the hopper table 51 continues to rise (step S102), and when both are turned on, the rise of the hopper table 51 is stopped (step S103).

Next, the motor for driving the transport rollers 31a and 31b is driven to send out the uppermost sheet 100 on the hopper table 51 along the transport path R (step S104).
Then, as soon as the passage detection sensor 32 detects the passage of the leading end 100a of the sheet 100, the step number counting unit 33 starts to count the motor drive step number p2 (steps S105 and S106).
Thereafter, when the passage detection sensor 32 detects passage of the trailing end 100b of the sheet 100, the number of driving steps p2 at that time is stored in the step number counting unit 33 (steps S107 and S108).

Next, the contamination level determination unit 34 determines the contamination level of the sheet 100.
First, it is determined whether or not the number of drive steps p2 is equal to or less than a threshold value s1 (= reference value p1 × 1.2) (step S109).
If the condition is satisfied, the cleaning mode is determined to be the normal cleaning mode, assuming that the degree of contamination is “small” (step S110).
If the condition is not satisfied, it is determined whether or not the number of drive steps p2 is equal to or less than a threshold value s2 (= reference value p × 1.5) (step S111).
As a result, when the condition of step S111 is satisfied, the cleaning mode is set to the high cleaning mode on the assumption that the degree of contamination is “medium” (step S112).
On the other hand, if the condition in step S111 is not satisfied, the cleaning mode is set to the strong cleaning mode on the assumption that the degree of contamination is “large” (step S113).

  In the cleaning unit 20, the sheet 100 is cleaned in the cleaning mode set in steps S110, S112, and S113.

The sheet 100 that has passed through the cleaning unit 20 is processed in the inspection unit 60 and the sheet discharge unit 70 in the flow shown in FIG.
In the inspection unit 60, first, the drive motors of the transport rollers 61a and 61b are driven (step S201).
As soon as the leading end 100a of the sheet 100 that has passed through the cleaning unit 20 is detected by the passage detection sensor 62, the step number counting unit 63 counts the number of driving steps of the motor that drives the conveyance rollers 61a and 61b (steps S202 and S203). ).
Thereafter, when the trailing edge sensor 100b of the sheet 100 is detected by the passage detection sensor 62, the driving step number p3 of the motor that drives the conveying rollers 61a and 61b at that time is stored (steps S204 and S205).

Whether the cleaning state determination unit 64 satisfies the condition that the degree of cleaning of the sheet 100 that has passed through the cleaning unit 20 satisfies the condition that the number of drive steps p3 ≦ the reference value p1 based on the reference value p1 that is also used to determine the degree of contamination. It is determined whether or not (step S206).
If the condition is satisfied, it is determined that the sheet 100 is clean and the cleaning is successful, and the sheet 100 is discharged to the sheet discharge unit 70 (step S207). If the condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the dirt on the sheet 100 has not been removed and the cleaning has failed, the sheet 100 is returned to the cleaning unit 20, and cleaning is performed again (step S208).

By the way, in the above, the detected drive step number p2 may be stored as history data in association with the cleaning mode selected in the cleaning unit 20 and the inspection result in the inspection unit 60.
In that case, in each of the normal cleaning mode, the high cleaning mode, and the strong cleaning mode, for example, “the maximum value of the number of drive steps p2 when the cleaning is successful among the history data” and “the cleaning of the history data fails. Then, the average value with the “minimum value of the number of drive steps p2” can be updated as the new threshold values s1 and s2.

  According to the sheet cleaning apparatus 10 as described above, the level of contamination of the sheet 100 is detected by the detection unit 30 prior to the cleaning of the sheet 100, and the cleaning condition of the sheet 100 in the cleaning unit 20 is adjusted based on this. I made it. Thereby, in the washing | cleaning part 20, since the sheet | seat 100 can be wash | cleaned on the suitable washing conditions according to the dirt level of the sheet | seat 100, the washing | cleaning of the sheet | seat 100 can be performed reliably and a cleaning agent is consumed excessively. Without cost, cost reduction can be achieved.

  Further, the detection unit 30 detects the slip amount of the transport rollers 31a and 31b that rotate while contacting the sheet 100 in order to transport the sheet 100 along the transport path R, and detects the level of dirt from the detected slip amount. I tried to do it. As a result, for example, the level of dirt on the sheet 100 can be easily detected at a lower cost than when image processing or the like is used to determine the degree of dirt on the sheet 100.

  The detection unit 30 counts the number of drive steps p2 of the motor that drives the conveyance rollers 31a and 31b while the sheet 100 passes through the passage detection sensor 32, and the counted number of drive steps p2 is set in advance. The slip amount of the seat 100 is calculated by comparing with the reference value p1. Thereby, the slip amount of the sheet 100 can be easily and accurately grasped.

  Further, the control unit 40 adjusts the cleaning conditions by changing the time during which the sheet 100 passes through the cleaning unit 20. Thereby, when the stain | pollution | contamination of the sheet | seat 100 is severe, it carries out to washing | cleaning by lengthening washing | cleaning time, and when stain | pollution | contamination is slight, washing | cleaning time can be shortened and the usage-amount of a washing | cleaning liquid can be suppressed.

  In addition, the control unit 40 stores a plurality of cleaning modes set in advance according to the level of contamination of the sheet 100, and drives the cleaning unit 20 in accordance with the cleaning mode. Thereby, the cleaning conditions in the cleaning unit 20 can be easily adjusted.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments described with reference to the drawings, and various modifications are conceivable within the technical scope thereof.
For example, the amount of slip when the sheet 100 is conveyed is used to detect the level of dirt on the sheet 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, dirt is detected by image processing or a sensor. Also good.
In the cleaning unit 20, the cleaning time is changed according to the level of dirt. For example, when a plurality of types of cleaning liquids are provided, the type of the cleaning liquid is switched or the amount of cleaning liquid sprayed is changed. May be. Moreover, you may change washing | cleaning time for every some washing | cleaning liquid.
In addition to this, as long as it does not depart from the gist of the present invention, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Medium washing | cleaning apparatus 20 Cleaning part 30 Detection part 31a, 31b Conveyance roller 32 Passing detection sensor 40 Control part 100 Medium 100a Front end 100b Rear end R Conveyance path

Claims (5)

A medium cleaning device for cleaning a sheet-shaped medium by a cleaning unit provided along the transport path while transporting along a predetermined transport path,
A first detection unit for detecting a level of medium contamination upstream of the cleaning unit;
A second detection unit for detecting a level of contamination of the medium downstream of the cleaning unit;
A control unit that adjusts a cleaning condition of the medium in the cleaning unit according to the level detected by at least one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit;
Have
The first detection unit detects a slip amount of a first transport roller that rotates while contacting the medium in order to transport the medium along the transport path, and the detected slip amount is a plurality of references. And the level of the stain is detected from the comparison result with at least one of the reference values,
The second detection unit detects a slip amount of a second conveyance roller that rotates while contacting the medium in order to convey the medium along the conveyance path, and performs the comparison in the first detection unit. Detect the level of dirt compared to the reference value used ,
The control unit corrects the reference value used for detecting the slip of the first conveying roller based on the slip amount detected by the first detection unit,
This correction is based on the maximum number of drive steps when cleaning is successful and the number of drive steps when cleaning fails in the history of drive steps supplied to the motor that drives the first transport roller. The average value with the minimum value is used as the new reference value.
A medium cleaning apparatus. The detection unit includes a passage detection sensor that detects passage of the medium sent out by the transport roller,
While the medium passes through the passage detection sensor, the number of driving steps of the motor that drives the transport roller is counted,
The medium cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a slip amount of the medium is calculated by comparing the counted number of driving steps with a preset reference driving number. The medium cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit adjusts a cleaning condition by changing a time during which the medium passes through the cleaning unit. The control unit has a storage unit that stores a plurality of cleaning modes set in advance according to the level of contamination of the medium,
The medium cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the cleaning unit is driven in accordance with the cleaning mode. A medium cleaning method for cleaning while conveying a sheet-shaped medium along a predetermined conveyance path,
Detecting the level of dirt before and after washing the medium, respectively.
Adjusting the cleaning conditions of the medium according to the level of the detected dirt;
Cleaning the medium with the adjusted cleaning conditions;
Have
The level of dirt before cleaning is detected by comparing the amount of slip between the first conveying roller that rotates in contact with the medium before cleaning and the medium with at least one of a plurality of reference values. I,
The detection of the level of dirt after the cleaning is performed by comparing the slip amount between the second transport roller that rotates in contact with the medium after cleaning with the reference value used for the comparison before the cleaning. Is done by
The reference value used for detecting the slip of the first conveying roller is corrected by the slip amount detected by the first detection unit,
This correction is based on the maximum number of drive steps when cleaning is successful and the number of drive steps when cleaning fails in the history of drive steps supplied to the motor that drives the first transport roller. A medium cleaning method, wherein an average value with a minimum value is used as a new reference value .

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