JP2985573B2 - Car wash machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a car washer installed at a gas station, for example, and used for car washing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional car washer will be described with reference to the drawings. 7 and 8, 1 straddles the vehicle 2 to be washed,
The gate-type car washer body 1 travels in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 2 on a rail 5 laid on a floor 4 via a plurality of wheels 3. 1 wash water arch 6
A first wax arch 7, a second wash water arch 8,
A second wax arch 9 and a detergent arch 10 are arranged in this order, and a top nozzle 11 for drying, a pair of left and right side nozzles 12 and both nozzles 11 and 12 are simultaneously provided at a location of the first washing water arch 6. A pair of left and right blower devices 13 are provided to communicate and supply the wind, and a top brush 14 that moves freely in the vertical direction and cleans the upper surface of the vehicle 2 and can move freely in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the running direction of the car wash machine body 1. A pair of side brushes 15 for cleaning the front and rear surfaces and both side surfaces of the vehicle 2 are mounted via swingable arms, and a pair of left and right rocker brushes 16 are mounted on lower portions on both sides so as to approach and separate from each other. Also, at the upper front of the car wash machine body 1,
A sonic sensor 17 for detecting the height of the vehicle 2 to be washed is provided, and an operation panel 19 on the front side of the car wash machine body 1 on which operation switches for inputting a start / stop command, a car wash mode, and the like are arranged. Is provided.

The driving system of the side brush 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, an air cylinder 22 is provided for rotating the arm 21A of the side brush 15 on a plane about the fulcrum X.
Weights 23 for pulling the side brushes 15 in the fully closing direction are connected to the shafts 21B of the shafts 21B, respectively, and air is supplied to the air cylinder 22 to fully open the side brushes 15 left and right against the weights 23, When the side brush 15 is fully opened to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, the changeover switch (solenoid switch) 24 is turned on, and air is supplied from the compressor 25 to each of the pair of air cylinders 22. When the air cylinder 22 is turned off, the air in the pair of air cylinders 22 is discharged from the exhaust nozzle 27 via the silencer 26. In addition, limit switches 28 and 29 are provided for detecting whether the side brush 15 is fully closed or fully opened by the contact of the arm 21A of the side brush 15;
Limit switches 30 and 31 are provided for detecting the inclination of the side brush 15 rearward and forward by contact of the 15 shaft 21B.

As shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 10, a control system of the car washer is built in the car washer body 1 and includes a control device 32 comprising a microcomputer having a storage unit, a control unit, and an input / output unit. A sensor system 33 including an operation panel 19, a sonic sensor 17, limit switches 28, 29, 30, 31 and the like,
A traveling drive device 34 having a traveling motor, a motor 35 for rotating the brush of the side brushes 15, and the above-described changeover switch (solenoid)
24, drive system 36 consisting of compressor 25, etc. and power supply 37
It is composed of The control device 32 inputs and stores operation signals such as start and stop from the operation panel 19 and a detection signal from the sensor system 33, and controls the drive system 36 according to the operation signal and the detection signal to control the car washing machine. The operation of the entire main body 1 is controlled.

A conventional side brush by the control device 32
A method of cleaning the vehicle 2 with the use of the side brush 15 will be described with reference to a locus diagram of the side brush 15 in FIG. When the conditions for starting the washing are satisfied, the side brush 15 is rotated by the brush rotating motor 35, and at the same time, the car washer body 1 is advanced by the traveling drive unit 34 (trajectory A). Then, when the side brush 15 comes into contact with the front end of the vehicle 2 and the rear tilt limit switch 30 is operated by tilting the side brush 15 rearward as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The forward movement is stopped, the changeover switch 24 is turned on, the side brush 15 is opened, and the front surface of the vehicle 2 is cleaned (trajectory B). Subsequently, when the side brush 15 is fully opened and the limit switch 29 is operated, the main body 1 of the car washer is advanced again by the traveling drive unit 34, and the switch 24 is turned off. When the changeover switch 24 is turned off, the side brush 15 is pressed against the side surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight of the weight 23, and the side surface is cleaned as the car wash machine main body 1 advances. Then, when the rear end of the vehicle 2 is detected by the sonic sensor 17, a predetermined time (the distance L in the front-rear direction between the sonic sensor 17 and the side brush 15 (Divided by the traveling speed of the car wash machine body 1 by 34)
And the forward movement of the car wash machine body 1 is stopped by counting up (trajectory C). Subsequently, the side brush 15 wraps around the rear surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight of the weight 23, and
Is cleaned (trajectory D). And the side brush
When the limit switch 28 is operated by fully closing 15, the brush rotation motor 35 is stopped to stop the rotation of the side brush 15, and the cleaning is completed.

As described above, in the conventional car washing machine, the side brush 15 is fully opened once when the washing of the front side of the vehicle 2 is shifted from the washing of the side surface (when shifting from the locus B to the locus C).

[0007]

However, in such a conventional car washer, since the side brush 15 is fully opened during the washing of the front and side surfaces of the vehicle 2, the circuit shown in FIG. Follows the trajectory C ',
There was a problem that the car washing time was long. Also, when cleaning the side surface of the vehicle 2, the weight of the weight 23 makes the side brush
15 is pressed against the side surface of the vehicle 2, there is a problem that it is not possible to always apply a constant appropriate pressure depending on the left and right width of the vehicle 2, and thus it is not possible to perform optimal cleaning. Also, depending on the pressure, the equipment on the side may be damaged, and on the contrary, the brush part of the side brush 15 may be damaged,
The service life could be shortened.

[0008] The present invention is to solve the above problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a car washer capable of shortening a car wash time and further enabling a position of a side brush to always be an optimum position with respect to a side surface of a vehicle.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a car washer according to the present invention movably drives the car washer body in a front-rear direction of a vehicle to be car-washed inside a gate-shaped car washer body. a traveling means, apart pair of side brushes for washing the front and rear surfaces and both side surfaces of the transverse movable in the vehicle in the lateral direction of the car wash body, a certain distance in the longitudinal direction on the vehicle side from the side brush a distance detector the position vital aspects for detecting a distance to the side of the vehicle, upon the sides of the vehicle is washed by the side brushes, the open position of the side brush according to the distance detected by said distance detector It is provided with control means for controlling.

[0010]

With the above construction, when the side of the vehicle is washed from the front side with the side brush, the distance between the car washer body and the side of the vehicle is detected by the distance detector, and the open position of the side brush is set according to this distance. Then, the side brush is controlled to the set open position to clean the side surface. Therefore, the operation of returning the side brush from the fully open position to the side surface position of the vehicle is eliminated, and the weight of the weight is not suspended on the side surface of the vehicle, so that the washing can always be performed at a constant optimal position. The distance detector is on the side
It is provided at a certain distance in the front and rear direction from the brush
From the time when it was detected by the distance detector
When the machine has traveled the above-mentioned fixed distance, the side brush
Can be controlled. Therefore, distance detection
Sensor and open the side brush based on the detected value.
Time shift, not simultaneous with position control
(It is necessary for the car wash machine to travel the specified distance
More accurate side brush opening position
Control can be performed.

[0011]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a car washer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of the car washer, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a distance detector 41 for detecting the distance from the side to the side surface of the vehicle 2 is provided inside the car wash machine body 1 on the vehicle 2 side from the side brush 15. ing. The distance detector 41 is constituted by a sonic sensor, and its installation height h is defined as an average height at the center of the front hood portion of the vehicle 2. Distance L _X detected by the distance detector 41 is input to the controller 32 as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG.
In order to detect the rotational position of the arm 21A, that is, to detect the left and right open positions of the brush portion of the side brush 15, a pulse encoder 42 is provided at the fulcrum X, and the pulse signal is also transmitted to the control device as shown in FIG. Entered into 32. Control device
At 32, the distance Z from the fully open position of the side brush 15 is measured by counting this pulse signal.
Further, the conventional changeover switch 24 is changed to a changeover switch 24 'having a holding position.

The traveling drive unit (traveling motor) 34 is also provided with a pulse encoder 43. In the control unit 32, the traveling distance of the car washer body 1 is measured by counting the pulse signals by a traveling counter M. .

In FIG. 2, a side bra indicated by a two-dot chain line
The position of the brush 15 is the fully opened position of the side brush 15,
The left and right distance between the device and the distance detector 41 is S,
Y, the side brush 15 can be optimally cleaned with the side brush 15
The distance between the center of the side brush 15 and the side of the vehicle 2
L_SBOf the distance detector 41 to the rear end position of the vehicle 2
To M _EAnd

First, the learning operation of the side position of the vehicle 2 by the control device 32 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is checked whether the car wash machine body 1 has started going forward cleaning (Step-1). If not going forward cleaning, the data storage end flag D described later is reset (D = 0) (Step-2). sets (X = 0) in the factor X "0" (step -3), L (X) is reset to store the distance L _X the X as a coefficient (L (1), L ( 2), L (3),... = 0 (Step-4), and the process ends.

In step 1, when the start of forward cleaning is confirmed, the data storage end flag D is set (D = 1).
Is confirmed (step-5). If the set is confirmed, the process is terminated. If not, it is confirmed whether the value of the traveling counter M is Xtv (t; unit time, v; forward speed) (step-5). 6) When confirmed, X is increased by "1" (X
= X + 1) (step-7), the distance detector 41 at this time
The distance L _X by storing the L (X) (step -8).
Since initially at X = 0, when M = 0, the time ie the start, the distance L _X by the distance detector 41 is stored in L (1), or less, every tv, i.e. for every unit distance travel, the distance The distance L _X by the detector 41 is sequentially stored in L (X) (X = 2, 3,...) To form a distance L _X table.

[0019] Then, the distance by the distance detector 41 L _X is L
_{When W} (L _W is the detection distance when the vehicle 2 is not present) or more, that is, when the distance detector 41 reaches the rear end of the vehicle 2 (step-9), the data storage end flag D is set (D = 1). ) (step 10), the value of the running count M in this case is stored in M _E (M _E = M) (step -1
1).

In the above learning, at the start of traveling (M = 0)
Distance L _X of unit distance (tv) for each travel are stored from the distance table is formed. Next, the operation when the control device 32 cleans the side surface from the front surface of the vehicle 2 with the side brush 15 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When it is confirmed that the washing conditions of the car washer body 1 are satisfied (step-1), first, a drive command is output to the brush rotating motor 35 to rotate the side brush 15 (step-1).
2) At the same time, a forward command is output to the traveling drive unit 34 to cause the car wash machine body 1 to advance, and the traveling counter M starts counting the pulse signal of the pulse encoder 43 (step-3). When the side brush 15 comes into contact with the front end of the vehicle 2 and the side brush 15 tilts rearward to operate the rear tilt limit switch 30 (step-4), a stop command is output to the traveling drive device 34. The advance of the car washer body 1 is stopped (step-5), and the compressor 25 is stopped.
Then, an ON command is output to the changeover switch (SW) 24 to open the side brush 15, thereby cleaning the front surface of the vehicle 2 (step-6). And the side brush
The 15 left and right movement positions Z are the initial open positions [S + L (1) -L
_SB ] (Step-7), the changeover switch (SW)
24, the opening command of the side brush 15 is output to stop the opening operation of the side brush 15, and the opening degree is maintained (step-8). Step-9).

When the vehicle travels a distance Y before and after the side brush 15 and the distance detector 41, that is, when the side brush 15 reaches the start position of the distance detector 41 (M = Y).
(Step-10), set "1" to the coefficient X (X = 1)
(Step-11), and the value of the running count M becomes (Y + Xt).
v) (step-12), X is increased by "1" (X =
X + 1) (step -13), following the target value Z _M of the moving positions of the left and right side brush 15 (1) calculated by equation (step -14).

[0023] Z _M = S + and _{L (X) -L SB ... (} 1), the changeover switch (SW) 24 as the distance position Z is made from full open side brush 15 to the target value Z _M position by driving Control the position of the side brush 15 (step-
15). In steps -12 to 15, the left and right positions of the side brush 15 are controlled according to the values in the distance table for each unit distance travel after the travel distance Y has moved.

Then, the value of the running count M becomes (Y +
M _E ), that is, the side brush 15
When the vehicle reaches the rear end (step-16), the traveling drive unit 34
And outputs a stop command to the compressor 25 to output a stop command to the compressor 25 (step 17).
An off command is output to the changeover switch 24, and the side brush 15 is moved on the rear surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight 23 to wash the rear surface of the car washer body 1 (step-18).

The trajectory of the side brush 15 by the above operation is shown by a dashed line in FIG. Thus, upon the sides of the vehicle 2 is washed by the side brushes 15, the distance detector 41 detects the distance L _X to the side surface of the vehicle 2, the position of the side brush 15 of the vehicle 2 in response to the distance Distance _LSB from side
By performing control so that the optimum cleaning can always be performed at the constant optimum position L _SB , the weight of the weight 23 does not hang on the side of the vehicle 2, and the side brush 15 Pressing can be avoided, and therefore the vehicle 2
When special equipment such as a special light is equipped on the side of the side brush, the burden on the special equipment or the side brush 15 can be avoided, so that damage to the special equipment can be avoided. Wear can be reduced and the life can be extended. Further, unlike the related art, the operation of returning the side brush 15 from the fully open position to the side position of the vehicle 2 is not required, so that the car washing time can be reduced.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, the distance between the car washer body and the side surface of the vehicle is detected by the distance detector when the side surface of the vehicle is cleaned from the front side by the side brush. To set the open position of the side brush,
By stopping the opening operation at this open position and cleaning the side, the side of the vehicle can always be cleaned at the optimum position, and pressing of the side brush against the vehicle can be avoided. When special equipment is equipped, the burden on these special equipment or the side brush can be avoided, so that damage to the special equipment can be avoided, the consumption of the brush portion of the side brush can be reduced, and the service life can be reduced. Can be extended. In addition, return the conventional side brush from the fully open position to the side position of the vehicle.
And the car washing time can be reduced.
The distance detector is more constant in the front-back direction than the side brush
Since it is provided at a distance, it is detected by a distance detector.
The car wash machine runs for the above-mentioned fixed distance from the time of leaving
The opening position of the side brush can be controlled
Wear. Therefore, detection by the distance detector and this detection value
The side brush opening position control based on the
Not because of time lag (the car wash body
Shifts by the time required to travel the distance), more positive
Reliable opening position control of the side brush can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a car washer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a side brush of the car washer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration and a drive system of a side brush of the car washer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system of the car washer.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart sequentially showing a procedure of learning a vehicle side position in the car wash machine.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a driving procedure of a side brush in the car washer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of a conventional car wash machine.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of a conventional car washer.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration and a drive system of a side brush of a conventional car washer.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a control system of a conventional car washer.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a locus of a side brush by a conventional car washing machine control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Car wash machine 2 Vehicle 15 Side brush 17 Sonic sensor 19 Operation panel 22 Air cylinder 23 Weight 24 'changeover switch 25 Compressor 28 Fully open limit switch 29 Fully closed limit switch 30 Backward tilt limit switch 31 Forward tilt limit switch 32 Control device 34 Running Driving device (traveling means) 35 Brush rotation motor 41 Distance detector 42 Pulse encoder 43 Pulse encoder

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A driving means for movably driving a main body of a car washing machine in a front-rear direction of a vehicle to be car-washed inside a main body of a gate-type car washing machine; front and rear surfaces and a pair of side brushes for washing the sides, front and rear on the vehicle side from the side brush
A distance detector that is located at a fixed distance in the direction and detects the distance from the side to the side of the vehicle, and according to the distance detected by the distance detector when cleaning the side of the vehicle with the side brush. A car washer comprising a control means for controlling an open position of the side brush.