# US 10,118,204 B2 · Cleaning apparatus

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,118,204 B2
- Document ID: US10118204B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/353,284
- Filed: 2016-11-16
- Published: 2017-03-02
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-06-30
- Assignees: IHI Corporation; IHI Machinery and Furnace Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: IHI Corporation; IHI Machinery and Furnace Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kazuhiko Katsumata; Masatoshi Mitsuzuka; Osamu Sakamoto; Takahiro Nagata
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118204B2

## CPC

- B08B 3/10: with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
- C23G 5/04: Apparatus
- B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
- C23G: CLEANING OR DE-GREASING OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY CHEMICAL METHODS OTHER THAN ELECTROLYSIS

## Abstract

A cleaning apparatus includes: a cleaning chamber that accommodates an object to be cleaned; a drying chamber connected to the cleaning chamber; a connecting member connecting a first opening provided in the cleaning chamber and a second opening provided in the drying chamber; a valve element positioned inside the cleaning chamber and facing the first opening; a valve seat facing the valve element; and an actuator that drives the valve element.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cleaning apparatus comprising:
a cleaning chamber that accommodates an object to be cleaned;
a drying chamber connected to the cleaning chamber;
a connecting member connecting a first opening provided in the cleaning chamber and a second opening provided in the drying chamber;
a valve element positioned inside the cleaning chamber and facing the first opening;
a valve seat facing the valve element; and
an actuator that drives the valve element,
wherein the valve element is configured to be separated from the valve seat inward of the cleaning chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
an opening-and-closing mechanism that switches the connecting member, which connects the first opening provided in the cleaning chamber and the second opening provided in the drying chamber, between a communicating state and a non-communicating state;
wherein the valve seat includes the first opening, and
wherein the opening-and-closing mechanism includes the valve element, the valve seat and the actuator, and is configured to allow the cleaning chamber and the drying chamber to communicate with each other by separating the valve element and the valve seat from each other.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supporting member that slidably fits into the first opening and determines the position of the valve element with respect to the first opening.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided in the drying chamber and is connected to the valve element inside the connecting member.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a bellows.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the valve element is configured to be movable relative to the object to be cleaned accommodated inside the cleaning chamber.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the actuator is provided in the drying chamber, and
wherein the cleaning apparatus is configured to dry the object to be cleaned by allowing the cleaning chamber and the drying chamber, the drying chamber having an internal pressure lower than an internal pressure of the cleaning chamber, to communicate with each other through the actuator separating the valve element from the valve seat.