JP4633749B2 - Car wash machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a car wash machine, and more particularly to an improved structure of a movable type car wash machine that cleans the outer peripheral surface of a vehicle body with a car wash brush while traveling along the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a type of automobile cleaning device, a so-called car wash machine, a gate-type main body frame has been provided, and a car wash brush is rotatably attached to each of a plurality of struts opposed to the main body frame, There exists a thing of the structure formed by the injection port which injects (for example, refer the following patent document 1). As is well known, this portal type car wash machine is such that the main body frame is guided by two rails and runs in the front-rear direction of the car to be cleaned, or the car passes through the main body frame. By being allowed to run, the main body frame and the automobile can be moved relative to each other. At that time, while a cleaning liquid such as cleaning water is sprayed from each injection port, a rotating car wash brush is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle body of the automobile to clean the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle body. . However, such a gate-type car wash machine has a problem that the structure is large and expensive, and a wide installation place is required.

  On the other hand, the car wash brush is supported on the machine base having the traveling wheels so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the car wash brush and cleaning liquid for the car wash brush. A car wash machine provided with a washing liquid injection mechanism that supplies a car wash part and injects it at the car wash part is also generally known (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3 below). In such a car wash machine, while the washing liquid is ejected by the washing liquid ejecting mechanism, the machine base is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the automobile body to be washed while the car wash brush rotated by the rotation drive mechanism is pressed. By driving around, the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle body is cleaned. Such a movable type car wash machine is more compact and less expensive than the installation type car wash machine having the gate-type body frame as described above, and also requires a fixed installation place. In particular, it is widely used for car washing of large buses and trucks.

  By the way, in such a moving type car wash machine, the car wash part of the rotating wash brush is allowed to move while spraying the washing liquid, so that usually at least the car wash part of the car wash brush is partially covered. The brush cover is supported by the machine base so that the cleaning liquid is prevented from splashing around.

  However, this brush cover is generally made of aluminum, stainless steel, resin, or the like that exhibits a cross-sectional arc shape or U shape so as to cover the opposite side of the car wash brush from the contact side with the vehicle body over a substantially half circumference. In addition, it is composed of a relatively strong saddle-shaped or split cylindrical curved plate, and a car wash machine for large vehicles such as buses and trucks has a height of 4 meters or more. Yes. And the car wash machine provided with such a brush cover is stored outdoors after use. Therefore, especially when strong wind blows from the front side of the car wash machine, such wind comes to hit the entire concave surface of the brush cover, and there is a risk that the car wash machine will fall over. . When the car wash machine falls, the washing machine may be damaged or broken, and it is very dangerous because the washing brush and the brush cover are large and heavy. There was even a concern that foreign matter would adhere to the fallen cleaning brush and damage the outer peripheral surface of the vehicle body to be cleaned with the foreign matter at the next car wash.

  Therefore, the mobile type car wash machine with a brush cover is in a state where it is tied to several strong and tall installations such as poles and building pillars standing on the ground with lobes etc. Therefore, measures are taken to prevent the vehicle from falling over even under strong winds. However, after each use of the car wash machine, it is very cumbersome to perform such work one by one, and if there are no suitable installations to hold the car wash machine, No measures could be taken to prevent falls.

  In addition to the above, for measures to prevent the car wash machine from falling due to contact with the wind of the brush cover, for example, the brush cover is detachably attached to the machine base and the car wash machine is used. It can easily be considered to remove the brush cover later. If it does so, it will become possible to take measures to prevent the car wash machine from falling without using any installations or the like. However, as described above, since the brush cover is large and has a large weight, such an operation of attaching and detaching the brush cover cannot be easily performed.

JP 2004-136893 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127843 JP 2006-264676 A

  Here, the present invention has been made in the background of the circumstances as described above, and the problem to be solved is that the brush can be obtained by a simple operation and without using any installation. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved structure of a car washer so that a fall of the cover due to contact with wind can be advantageously prevented.

In order to solve this problem, the first aspect of the present invention includes a machine base having traveling wheels, and a rotary shaft supported by the machine base and extending about a vertical axis. A car wash brush, a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the car wash brush, a washing liquid supply mechanism for supplying a washing liquid to a car wash portion of the car wash brush, and a car wash brush opposite to the car wash side supported by the machine base. A brush cover that covers a substantially half circumference and prevents splashing of the cleaning liquid, wherein the brush cover is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to a column portion erected on the machine base. together they are, the brush cover has a split structure composed of a plurality of divided cover supported on the strut, and at least one of a plurality of divided cover and slidable As the at least one divided cover slides, the brush cover is opened and closed, and the plurality of divided covers are overlapped with each other in the open state of the brush cover, and The plurality of divided covers in the brush cover have a form formed by dividing the brush cover in the vertical direction, and are positioned at the lower side of the lower divided cover positioned at the lowermost position and above the lower divided cover. And at least one upper divided cover supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the support column, and as the upper divided cover slides downward, with brush cover is in an open state, the open state of such a brush cover, the upper-side partition cover is adapted to be superimposed on said lower split cover In the car wash machine, characterized.

Furthermore, in the second aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to the first aspect, the at least one upper divided cover is one end of a long suspension member such as a wire rope. And is supported by the support column in a state of being suspended by the suspension member so that it can be slid in the vertical direction.

Further, in the third aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to the first or second aspect, the upper divided cover is slid downward by its own weight, and the upper divided cover. And a resistance means for reducing the speed of the downward movement of the upper divided cover by applying a predetermined resistance force to the upper divided cover during the downward sliding movement of the upper divided cover; Become.

Furthermore, in a fourth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to any one of the first to third aspects, a rotary handle provided to be rotatable about one axis, and the rotary handle. The rotation handle of the rotary handle is converted into a linear motion along the slide movement direction of the split cover. A moving mechanism that slides the divided cover in accordance with the rotation is further provided.

Further, in a fifth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to the fourth aspect, the rotating handle in a direction in which the divided cover is slid in a direction in which the brush cover is closed. An engagement mechanism is further provided that releasably engages the rotating handle so as to permit rotation but prevent rotation of the rotating handle in the opposite direction.

Furthermore, in a sixth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, an edge of the split cover that is slidable A convex fitting portion or a concave fitting portion is provided in the portion so as to extend in the sliding movement direction of the at least one divided cover, while the convex fitting portion or the concave fitting of the divided cover is provided on the column portion. A concave guide fitting portion or a convex guide fitting portion in which the joint portion is fitted into the concave and convex portions is provided so as to extend in the sliding movement direction of the divided cover, and the divided cover is provided with the convex fitting portion or the concave shape. The fitting portion is configured to slide while being guided by the concave guide fitting portion or the convex guide fitting portion of the support column.

Still further, in a seventh aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the split cover that is slidable is automatically slid. A slide drive mechanism is further provided.

Furthermore, in the eighth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the divided cover that is slidable is closed. And a stopper mechanism for releasably engaging the split cover when the slide cover is moved to a position and restricting the slide movement of the split cover in a direction to open the brush cover. It is done.

Furthermore, in a ninth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, in the car wash machine according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, an outrigger can be stored with respect to the machine base. Provided and configured.

In the car wash machine according to the ninth aspect, a configuration in which the outrigger attached to the machine base is extendable in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be suitably employed.

  That is, in the first aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, after use, if the brush cover is opened without removing any brush cover, even if strong wind blows from the front side of the car wash machine, Such wind can be blown out to the back side through the portion opened from the covering by the brush cover, and thereby it can be advantageously avoided that the wind hits the entire surface of one side of the brush cover. . Therefore, in such a car wash machine, during storage that is not used, in order to prevent overturn due to wind, for robust and high installation objects such as poles and building columns standing on the ground, There is no need to perform the troublesome work of tying the brush cover with several ropes.

  Accordingly, in the car wash machine according to the present invention as described above, the brush cover wind and the wind of the brush cover can be obtained simply by simply opening the brush cover and without using any installation. A fall by contact can be prevented very advantageously. And as a result, some problems that could be caused by such a wind fall can be avoided.

Further, according to the first aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the brush cover can be advantageously reduced in size by the amount that the divided covers are overlapped in the open state. Thereby, the contact area of the brush cover with the wind is effectively reduced, so that the wind force acting on the brush cover in the opened state of the brush cover can be advantageously reduced. As a result, the fall of the car wash machine due to wind can be prevented more effectively.

Furthermore, according to the first aspect of the car wash machine of the present invention, in the open state of the brush cover, at least the upper part of the car wash brush is opened from the cover by the brush cover, while the lower part is The brush cover can be positioned so that it still covers. Therefore, even when a strong wind hits the brush cover in the open state of the brush cover, the moment of the wind force acting on the brush cover at that time, that is, the moment acting as the force for overturning the car wash machine can be advantageously reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the car wash machine from overturning due to wind.

Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the at least one upper divided cover that is slidable is slid vertically with respect to the support column with a relatively simple support structure. It can be movably supported.

Further, according to the third aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the at least one upper divided cover that is slidable can be slowly slid downward, thereby opening the brush cover. Can be safely implemented. In addition, for example, even when the upper divided cover comes into contact with any object during the downward sliding movement of the upper divided cover, the impact applied to the upper divided cover at that time is advantageously alleviated. It can be effectively prevented that the upper divided cover is unnecessarily damaged by the impact.

Furthermore, according to the fourth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the operation for sliding the at least one divided cover that is slidable is a simple operation of simply rotating the rotary handle. It can be done easily by human power.

Furthermore, according to the fifth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the direction in which the divided cover is opened when the at least one divided cover that is slidable is slid in the closed direction. It can be advantageously prevented from sliding unnecessarily, and in particular, the closing operation of the brush cover can be performed more smoothly. In particular, when the brush cover is closed by sliding the at least one split cover upward, the rotation of the rotary handle is performed when the split cover is slid upward by the rotation of the rotary handle. Even if the operation is stopped halfway, it is possible to effectively prevent the brush cover from being opened due to the split cover sliding downward due to its own weight.

Further, according to the sixth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, at least one of the divided covers that can be slidably moved is slid more smoothly, and the smooth opening and closing operation of the brush cover is effective. Can be envisioned.

Furthermore, according to the seventh aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, the opening and closing operation of the brush cover can be advantageously automated.

Furthermore, according to the eighth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, for example, during the car wash, the brush cover can be advantageously prevented from being unnecessarily opened from the closed state, and the washing liquid during the car wash Can be prevented more reliably.

Furthermore, according to the ninth aspect of the car wash machine according to the present invention, when the car wash machine is not used, the machine base can be fixed to the ground by the outrigger, so that it can be stably placed at a predetermined position. In addition to this, it is possible to effectively prevent the fall of the brush cover due to contact with the wind.

  Hereinafter, in order to clarify the present invention more specifically, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 schematically show a car wash machine 10 used for washing an automobile as an embodiment of a car wash machine having a structure according to the present invention in its front form, side form and top form. Has been shown. As is clear from these drawings, the car wash machine 10 of this embodiment has a machine base 11. The four casters 12 and the left and right traveling tires 14a and 14b, which are two types of traveling wheels that can travel the machine base 11, are attached to the machine base 11, respectively. Further, the car wash brush 16 is supported so as to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 17.

  More specifically, the machine base 11 further has a base 18. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 has a substantially rectangular plate shape. In addition, one caster 12 having wheels that freely rotate is attached to each of the four corners of the lower surface. Further, the caster 12 is a conventionally known buffer caster having a pivot shaft (not shown) extending in the vertical direction and capable of pivoting around the pivot shaft. Thus, the four casters 12 provide a buffering action against the downward impact input to the base portion 18. At the same time, the machine base 11 is allowed to travel in any direction on the road surface. 2 to 7 except FIG. 1 and FIGS. 8 to 15 to be described later, in order to facilitate understanding of the overall or partial structure of the car wash machine 10, some members and It should be understood that the components are shown omitted for each figure.

  Further, left and right traveling tires 14a and right traveling tires 14b are respectively attached to the left and right side ends in the width direction at the longitudinal center portion of the lower surface of the base portion 18 with an axle 20 fixed thereto. The portions 18 are respectively arranged in a state of extending horizontally toward the inner side in the width direction. Further, the axles 20 are rotatably attached to the lower surface of the base portion 18 by a stay 24 having two bearings 22 and 22.

  Further, between the left traveling tire 14a and the right traveling tire 14b on the lower surface of the base portion 18, a left traveling motor 26a and a right traveling motor 26b are disposed as a traveling drive source for rotationally driving them. ing. That is, the left and right traveling motors 26a and 26b are in a state in which the respective drive shafts 28 are extended in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 18, in other words, the axles of the left and right traveling tires 14a and 14b. It is arranged in a state extending perpendicularly to 20. Note that the left and right traveling motors 26a and 26b are, for example, conventionally known dielectric motors that are driven to rotate in the same direction.

  Then, the drive shafts 28 of the left and right traveling motors 26a, 26b arranged in this manner are gears attached to the end portions of the respective axles 20 opposite to the traveling tire 14 side. It is connected via a gear (not shown) accommodated in the box 30 that changes the rotation direction. Thus, the left and right traveling tires 14a and 14b are rotated in the same direction as the left and right traveling motors 26a and 26b are driven to rotate in the same direction. And the whole machine base 11 is made to run toward the one side of the longitudinal direction of the base part 18 shown by the arrow: A in FIG. In the following, in the width direction of the machine base 11, the side on which the left traveling tire 14a is located is referred to as the left side, and the portion is referred to as the left side. Furthermore, the side on which the right traveling tire 14b is located is referred to as the right side, and that portion is referred to as the right side. In addition, in the length direction of the machine base 11, the front side in the traveling direction (the side indicated by the arrow: A in FIG. 4) is the front part, and the rear side (the arrow: A in FIG. 4 is The opposite side) part is called the rear part.

  Further, as is apparent from FIGS. 3 to 5, one outrigger 31 is fixed to each of the front and rear end surfaces of the base portion 18 in the machine base 11. The outrigger 31 is housed in a housing 33 formed of a long rectangular cylinder or pipe, and is protruded / retracted into the housing 33 from both side openings so that it can expand and contract in the horizontal direction. In addition, two rod-like or rod-like arms 35, 35 and the distal end portions of the arms 35 are inserted and arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and are moved downward by being moved in the vertical direction. It has a known structure including a rod-shaped or rod-shaped grounding rod 37 that can be expanded and contracted, and a pair of fixing nuts 39 and 39 that fix the grounding rod 37 at an arbitrary expansion / contraction position. Yes.

  For example, when the car wash machine 10 is stored in a predetermined place after use, the two arms 35, 35 of each outrigger 31 are extended in the horizontal direction, and each ground rod 37 has its lower end. The base position of the machine base 11 (the car wash machine 10) is fixed to the ground by being extended downward to the position where it touches the ground and fixing the extended position by the fixing nuts 39. ing. Thus, the car wash machine 10 is configured to be prevented from moving from the storage location. On the other hand, when the car wash machine 10 is used, the outrigger 31 can be easily accommodated by raising each grounding rod 37 upward and accommodating the two arms 35, 35 in the housing 33.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, a tank table 36 is supported above the left side of the base portion 18 by a plurality of columns 34 at a position separated from the upper surface of the base portion 18 by a predetermined distance. (See FIGS. 8 and 9). Further, a protective cover 32 made of a plate material having a substantially U-shape is provided on the left and right sides of the base portion 18 so as to cover the space between the base portion 18 and the tank table 36. It is installed.

  Further, on the left side of the base portion 18, an internal combustion engine type generator 38 such as a gasoline engine type or a diesel engine type and a control device 40 are sandwiched between two protective covers 32, 32, It is installed so as to be lined up below the tank table 36. Thus, the generator 38 and the control device 40 are positioned in a state where the front and rear directions are protected by the two protective covers 32 and 32.

  As is well known, the internal combustion engine generator 38 used here generates an alternating voltage by driving an internal combustion engine (engine) using gasoline, light oil or the like as fuel. In the present embodiment, the generator 38 is configured to control the current flowing through the rotor coil and to keep the output voltage constant, for example, so as to attenuate the power fluctuation and stabilize it. It incorporates a known automatic voltage regulator (not shown).

  Such a generator 38 is electrically connected to the control device 40 arranged side by side with the left and right traveling motors 26a and 26b attached to the lower surface of the base portion 18 in the machine base 11. Has been. Accordingly, a constant voltage is stably supplied to each traveling motor 26, and the power supply is controlled by the control device 40.

  In addition, a remote control device 41 as an operation means is further electrically connected to the control device 40. Then, based on pressing operations of various push buttons provided on the remote control device 41, power supply from the generator 38 to each traveling motor 26 is started and stopped. That is, the driving and stopping of each traveling motor 26 are controlled by the control device 40 so that the machine base 11 is moved forward and stopped.

  Thus, in the car wash machine 10 of this embodiment, the traveling direction of the machine base 11 is set to the left and right directions based on the pressing operation of the push button of the remote control device 41 as described in JP-A-2006-264676. It can be changed manually. As a result, the vehicle can easily run to the vicinity of the car to be washed. In addition, the left and right traveling tires 14a and 14b that enable the machine base 11 to travel are driven to rotate by the power supply of the left and right traveling motors 26a and 26b from the generator 38 installed on the machine base 11. It is supposed to be. Therefore, for example, unlike the case where each traveling tire 14a, 14b is rotationally driven by power supply from a power source provided at a fixed position, the machine base 11 can be moved more freely and over a wide range. Yes.

  On the tank table 36, a tank 42 in which cleaning water as a cleaning liquid is accommodated is installed. That is, the tank 42 is fixed above the generator 38 at a position that is biased to the left of the central portion in the width direction of the base portion 18. A submersible pump 44 is accommodated in the tank 42. The submersible pump 44 is connected to a water supply pipe 46 that extends to the outside of the tank 42. Accordingly, the cleaning water in the tank 42 is sent to the outside through the water supply pipe 46 by driving the submersible pump 44. Further, the submersible pump 44 is driven by being supplied with power from the generator 38 by a pressing operation of a push button provided in the remote control device 41. Thus, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism is configured including the submersible pump 44 and the water supply pipe 46. 1 and 2, reference numeral 48 denotes a water supply pipe for supplying water into the tank 42. Reference numeral 50 denotes a water level meter for confirming the amount of washing water contained in the tank 40.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3, 8, and 9, in the right side portion of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 that is opposite to the installation side of the generator 38, the control device 40, and the tank 42, A brush cover 52 is erected. The brush cover 52 includes a cover main body 54 and two support columns 56 and 56. The cover body 54 as a whole is formed of a thin resin plate, a stainless steel plate, an aluminum plate, or the like having a divided cylindrical shape with an arc shape or U shape whose cross section is less than a semicircle, On the base part 18, it arrange | positions with the concave inner surface facing the right side. The two struts 56, 56 extend in the height direction along both side edges in the circumferential direction of the cover main body 54 and face each other on the base 18 of the machine base 11. It is erected.

  In addition, a reinforcing body 58 is provided on the upper ends of the two support columns 56 of the brush cover 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing body 58 includes two first ribs 59 a and 59 a having a long narrow flat plate shape extending between the upper end portions of each column portion 56, and two of them. Two second ribs 59b, 59b each having a narrow flat plate extending between the first ribs 59a, 59a are integrally combined.

  A first bearing 60 opens an inner hole in the vertical direction at the center in the longitudinal direction of one of the two first ribs 59a, 59a in the reinforcing body 58 provided in the brush cover 52. It is fixed in the state to let it. Furthermore, also in the base part 18, in the center part of the front-back direction of the right side surface, the second bearing 62 opens the inner hole in the vertical direction and is positioned concentrically with the first bearing 60. It is fixed.

  The rotating shaft 17 of the car wash brush 16 is inserted and fixed in the respective inner holes of the first bearing 60 and the second bearing 62 at its upper end and lower end. As a result, the car wash brush 16 is fixed around the machine base 11 in a state where a part of the car wash brush 16 protrudes to the right from the base portion 18, and is thus stable around the rotary shaft 17 extending in the vertical direction. It is supported in a rotatable state. The car wash brush 16 has an upper brush 19a with long bristles located on the upper side and a plurality of lower brushes 19b with shorter bristles than the upper brush 19a located on the lower side.

  Thus, here, the brush cover 52 (cover main body 54) covers (surrounds) the entire portion of the periphery of the car wash brush 16 on the opposite side to the car wash side, which is less than the left half, The base 11 is supported in a state of being located between the car wash brush 16 on the base portion 18 and the generator 38 and the control device 40.

  In addition, a brush drive motor 64 made of, for example, an induction motor extends a drive shaft (not shown) in the horizontal direction on the upper surface of the reinforcing body 58 provided at the upper end of each support 56 of the brush cover 52. It is fixed with. Further, a gear box 66 is interposed between the drive shaft of the brush drive motor 64 and the upper end edge of the rotary shaft 17 extending through the inner hole of the first bearing 60. The rotary shaft 17 and the drive shaft of the brush drive motor 64 are connected via a gear (not shown) that changes the rotational direction accommodated in the gear box 66. As a result, the car wash brush 16 is driven to rotate about the rotation shaft 17 in accordance with the driving of the brush drive motor 64. As is clear from this, in the present embodiment, the rotational drive mechanism is configured including the brush drive motor 64.

  The brush drive motor 64 is driven and stopped under the control of the control device 40 by a pressing operation of a push button provided on the remote control device 41. That is, by pressing the push button once, the brush drive motor 64 is powered and driven from the generator 38 installed on the machine base 11 capable of self-running. In such a state, when the push button is pressed once again, the driving of the brush drive motor 64 is stopped. As a result, in the present embodiment, the car wash brush 16 can be driven to rotate at an arbitrary place, so that the car can be washed at a desired place.

  Further, here, the rotation speed of the brush drive motor 64 is arbitrarily adjusted by a rotation speed adjusting device built in the control device 40. As described above, the brush drive motor 64 is composed of an induction motor. Therefore, the rotation speed control by the rotation speed adjusting device is easily realized by, for example, conventionally known duty ratio control, control using both converter control and inverter control, and cycle converter control.

  As described above, the rotational speed of the brush drive motor 64 is arbitrarily adjusted by the rotational speed adjustment device built in the control device 40, so that, for example, in the car wash operation, the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body. The rotational speed of the car wash brush 16 can be increased or decreased according to the dirt state (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 3). Further, it is possible to perform a so-called soft start in which the rotation of the car wash brush 16 is started at a moderate speed. As a result, the efficiency of the cleaning operation, the avoidance of danger due to the impact of the rapid start of the car wash brush 16 can be advantageously achieved.

  Further, two extension pipes 68 branched from the water supply pipe 46 connected to the submersible pump 44 are provided on both sides of each support 56 of the brush cover 52 along the height direction of the brush cover 52. It is arranged to extend. Each of the extension pipes 68 is provided with a plurality of injection ports 70 at predetermined intervals. As a result, along with the driving of the submersible pump 44, the wash water is jetted all at once from the plurality of jet ports 70 positioned on both sides of the brush cover 52. Further, as described above, the submersible pump 44 is driven by power supply from the generator 38 installed on the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 capable of self-running. Therefore, the cleaning water can be jetted from each jet port 70 at an arbitrary place. As is clear from this, here, the cleaning liquid injection mechanism is configured by the submersible pump 44, the water supply pipe 46, the extension pipe 68, and the injection port 70 with a comparatively simple structure.

  Here, one contact prevention roller 74 is provided on each side of the support 56 in the width direction (circumferential direction) of the brush cover 52 so as to protrude to the right side of the base 18. Yes. Thus, even if the machine base 11 is too close to the outer peripheral surface 67 of the automobile to be washed during the car washing operation as described later, the contact prevention roller 74 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body. The contact or collision between the machine base 11 and the automobile is prevented in advance. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 72 denotes a lifting ladder.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the heavy generator 38 and the control device 40 and the car wash brush 16 are located separately on the left side portion and the right side portion of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11. Is installed. As a result, the weight balance of the entire car wash machine 10 is ensured satisfactorily, and thus the running stability of the machine base 11 is improved. In addition, during the car washing operation described later, the splash of water or mud sprayed from each injection port 70 is scattered by the rotation of the car wash brush 16 or is applied to the generator 38 or the control device 40. , And the like can be effectively prevented by the brush cover 52.

  Thus, when the car wash operation is performed using the car wash machine 10 having such a structure, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, first, the car wash brush 16 is attached to the car to be washed. The machine base 11 is disposed so as to be pressed against the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body. That is, the machine base 11 is arranged such that the vehicle body outer peripheral surface 67 is positioned on the right side in the traveling direction. In this state, the water in the tank 42 is sprayed from the spray ports 70 installed on both sides of the brush cover 52 by the operation of the submersible pump 44. At the same time, the car wash brush 16 is rotated by the brush drive motor 64. And, by driving the left and right traveling tires 14a, 14b with the driving of the left and right traveling motors 26a, 26b, the car wash brush 16 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle to be washed. The vehicle travels along the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body. Thus, the outer peripheral surface 67 of the automobile is cleaned over the entire periphery.

  Further, in the car wash machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the machine base 11 that is caused to travel along the vehicle outer peripheral surface 67 of the automobile to be washed in the car wash operation as described above is the vehicle outer peripheral surface 67. As the vehicle approaches the vehicle, that is, as the traveling direction becomes the right side, the amount of pressing of the car wash brush 16 against the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body increases. Thereby, the resistance force generated in the car wash brush 16 pressed against the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body is increased. On the contrary, as the machine base 11 is separated from the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body, that is, as the traveling direction is on the left side, the amount of pressing of the car wash brush 16 against the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body decreases. Resistance will decrease.

  Therefore, here, based on such a resistance force, the distance between the machine base 11 (the car wash machine 10) and the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body is set to a predetermined range. The traveling direction is controlled by a so-called control method that follows the outer peripheral surface 67 of the vehicle body. Note that the travel control of the machine base 11 based on the resistance force generated in the car wash brush 16 can be easily realized according to a control method disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-264676. Thus, the outer peripheral surface 67 of the automobile can be automatically washed without manpower.

  By the way, in the car wash machine 10 according to the present embodiment as described above, the brush cover 52 for preventing the spray of the wash water sprayed from the respective injection ports 70 during the car wash operation is a special structure that is not conventionally seen. It is composed.

  That is, here, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the divided cylindrical cover main body 54 in the brush cover 52 is divided into an upper divided cover 76 and a lower divided cover 78 that are further divided into two vertically. It has the division structure which becomes. These upper divided covers 76 are slightly smaller in diameter than the lower divided cover 78 and can be overlapped with the former inside. The upper and lower divided covers 76 and 78 may have the same diameter as each other. Since each of the divided covers 76 and 78 is thin, even if they have the same diameter, they can be overlapped without any trouble.

  Further, the upper and lower divided covers 76 and 78 have substantially the same height, and the upper and lower end edges, the outer surface (convex surface) of the intermediate portion in the height direction, and the circumference. A metal-made narrow band 80 for reinforcement, which extends in the circumferential direction (width direction) and the height direction, respectively, is fixed to the center of each direction. Further, as apparent from FIGS. 10 and 11, the circumferential ends of each of the divided covers 76 and 78 protrude outward in the radial direction at a predetermined height and continuously extend in the height direction. The flange portions 82 as convex fitting portions are integrally formed.

  On the other hand, the two column portions 56 and 56 that are erected in a state of being opposed to each other on the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 and constitute the brush cover 52 together with the cover body 54 are shown in FIGS. As is apparent, the first concave groove 84 extending continuously over the entire height direction (full length) on the opposing surfaces, and the first groove extending continuously in the height direction only in the lower half portion. And two concave grooves 86. The first concave groove 84 has a wider groove width than the second concave groove 86, and the groove width of the first concave groove 84 is such that the flange portions 82 of the upper and lower divided covers 76 and 78. On the other hand, the groove width of the second concave groove 86 is made slightly larger than the thickness of each of the flange portions 82. Further, the first concave groove 84 and the second concave groove 86 are arranged such that the former is located on the car wash brush 16 side (right side) with respect to the opposing surface of each column portion 56 erected on the base portion 18. On the other hand, the latter is provided on the opposite side (left side) to the car wash brush 16 side.

  In addition, a pair of guide rollers 88 is provided at each of the upper end portion, the lower end portion, and the intermediate portion of the upper half portion of the support column portion 56. That is, the notch 90 is provided in each of the three portions in the upper half of the support 56. In addition, support portions 92 for rotatably supporting the guide roller 88 are fixedly provided on the outer surface of the formation portion of each notch portion 90 in the support column portion 56. The guide roller 88 is supported by each support portion 92 in a state where a part of the guide roller 88 is inserted into the first concave groove 84 through the notch portion 90.

  Thereby, a pair of guide rollers 88 and 88 are respectively attached to the two side wall portions of the first groove 84 at the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the upper half portion of the column portion 56 and the intermediate portion thereof. . Further, under such an attachment state, the respective roller surfaces of the pair of guide rollers 88 are opposed to each other at a predetermined distance in the first concave groove 84. Here, the distance between the roller surfaces of the pair of guide rollers 88 is slightly larger than the thickness of the flange portion 82 of the upper divided cover 76.

  Then, flange portions 82 and 82 at both ends in the circumferential direction of the upper divided cover 76 are respectively inserted into or inserted into the first concave grooves 84 of the respective column portions 56, and the three pairs of guide rollers 88 It is positioned between both sides in the thickness direction. On the other hand, in the second recessed groove 86, the flange portions 82 at both ends in the circumferential direction of the lower divided cover 78 are respectively plunged or fitted without providing a gap between the inner surface of the first recessed groove 84. Has been.

  Thus, here, the upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 are supported by the two column portions 56 and 56 in each flange portion 82 in a state where the upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 are erected so as to extend in the vertical direction. . Further, under such a support state, the lower divided cover 78 is fixedly disposed so as to straddle between the lower portions between the two support columns 56. On the other hand, the upper divided cover 76 is disposed so as to straddle between the two column portions 56, 56, and is guided by the three pairs of guide rollers 88 along the first concave groove 84, and each column unit 56. It can be slid in the vertical direction smoothly and without rattling over the entire length.

  As is clear from these facts, in the present embodiment, the first concave groove 84 constitutes a concave guide fitting portion. Further, here, the upper end surface of the belt-like body 80 attached to the upper end portion of the upper divided cover 76 is provided at the upper end portion of each support column portion 56 to the engaging protrusion 89 projecting in the opposite direction. The position that is brought into contact with and engaged with is the top dead center position of the sliding movement of the upper divided cover 76, and the lower end surface of the upper divided cover 76 contacts the base portion 18 of the machine base 11. The position is the bottom dead center position of the sliding movement of the upper divided cover 76.

  As is apparent from FIG. 9, the upper divided cover 76 is slid upward to the top dead center position, so that the upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 are separated from each other by two column portions 56 and 56. In between, they are arranged side by side in a state of straddling over their entire length. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, under the arrangement state of the two divided covers 76 and 78, the upper and lower portions of the periphery of the car wash brush 16 that are less than half of the machine base 11 side. The sides are covered with an upper divided cover 76 and a lower divided cover 78, respectively.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when the upper divided cover 76 is slid downward to the bottom dead center position, the entire upper divided cover 76 and the entire lower divided cover 78 are divided into two pieces. Between the lower portions of the support columns 56, 56, they are arranged to overlap each other. Then, although not explicitly shown in FIG. 12, the cover by the upper divided cover 76 on the periphery of the upper half portion of the car wash brush 16 is eliminated, and only the periphery of the lower half portion of the car wash brush 16 is removed. The upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 are covered.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the upper half cover 76 is moved downward to open the upper half portion of the cover main body 54. With the cover main body 54 open, the entire upper split cover 76 is On the other hand, the lower divided cover 78 is overlaid on the whole, and from such a state, the cover main body 54 is closed by the upward sliding movement of the upper divided cover 76. . That is, the cover main body 54 including the upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 can be opened and closed as the upper divided cover 76 slides in the vertical direction.

  In the car wash machine 10 of this embodiment, a structure for smoothly sliding the upper divided cover 76 in the vertical direction is further provided.

  That is, as is apparent from FIGS. 3, 9, and 12, both end sides in the length direction (the width direction of the upper divided cover 76) on the upper end surface of the strip 80 attached to the upper end portion of the upper divided cover 76. One hook fitting 94 is fixed to each portion. In addition, one vertical guide roller 96 having one groove portion is vertically above each of the two hook fittings 94, 94 so that the rotation shaft extends horizontally in the left-right direction. Arranged and attached to the first rib 59 a of the reinforcing body 58. Further, a second guide roller 98 having two grooves at the upper end portion of one of the two column portions 56, 56 has the same rotation axis as that of the first guide roller 96. It is fixed in a state of extending in the direction. In addition, a winding roller 100 having two wide groove portions is provided at the intermediate portion in the height direction of the column portion 56 to which the second guide roller 98 is fixed. Is extended in the same direction as the rotation axis of the second guide roller 98.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, a rotary handle 102 and a ratchet gear 104 are attached to the rotary shaft of the winding roller 100 so as not to rotate relative to the winding roller 100. Furthermore, the support 56 to which the winding roller 100 is fixed slides on the gear teeth of the ratchet gear 104 when rotating in one direction of the ratchet gear 104 (clockwise direction in FIG. 13). Although the ratchet gear 104 is allowed to rotate in one direction, the ratchet gear 104 is engaged with the gear teeth of the ratchet gear 104 when rotating in the other direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 13). A ratchet pawl 106 that is maintained by its own weight and prevents the ratchet gear 104 from rotating in the other direction is attached so as to be swingable or rotatable. Note that the engagement of the ratchet pawl 106 with the ratchet gear 104 can be easily released simply by swinging or rotating the ratchet pawl 106 upward.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 3, 9, and 12, the two hook fittings 94, 94 fixed to the upper end surface of the strip 80 of the upper divided cover 76 are suspended in the longitudinal direction. A long wire rope 108 as a member is attached at one end in the length direction. In addition, the two wire ropes 108 and 108 are wound around the two first guide rollers 96 and 96 and the second guide roller 98, respectively, at the other end in the length direction. The roller 100 is fixed separately to the bottom of the two groove portions. As a result, the upper divided cover 76 is supported by the support 56 through the first and second guide rollers 96 and 98 while being suspended from the wire ropes 108 and 108.

  Thus, in the car wash machine 10 of the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the bottom dead center position of the sliding movement in which the upper divided cover 76 is positioned so as to overlap the lower divided cover 78, In other words, when the rotary handle 102 is gripped and manually rotated in the clockwise direction in the state where the cover main body 54 is disposed at the open position, the winding roller 100 rotates the rotary handle 102. The two wire ropes 108 and 108 are gradually wound around the winding roller 100 by being integrally rotated in the direction. Thereby, the end of each wire rope 108 attached to each hook metal fitting 94 of the upper divided cover 76 is raised, and accordingly, the upper divided cover 76 is guided to the first concave groove 84 of each column 56. In addition, it can be slid upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the cover body 54 is closed by the upper divided cover 76 reaching the top dead center position by the rotation operation of the rotary handle 102. .

  Here, as described above, the rotation of the rotary handle 102 and the winding roller 100 in the direction opposite to the winding direction of each wire rope 108 (counterclockwise direction) is the ratchet gear 104 and the ratchet pawl 106. Is prevented by the engagement. Therefore, when the upper divided cover 76 is made to reach the top dead center position by the rotation operation of the rotary handle 102 and the cover main body 54 is closed, a special operation can be performed by releasing the hand from the rotary handle 102. Without any rotation, the reverse rotation of the rotary handle 102 and the take-up roller 100 due to the weight of the upper divided cover 76 and the accompanying downward sliding movement of the upper divided cover 76 are prevented, so that the cover body 54 is closed. To be maintained. Similarly, when the hand is released from the rotary handle 102 during winding of each wire rope 108 by the rotating operation of the rotary handle 102, the downward movement of the upper divided cover 76 is prevented. Thus, the amount of closing of the cover main body 54 (opening amount) can be set to an arbitrary amount by adjusting the sliding movement amount of the upper divided cover 76.

  As is apparent from these, in this embodiment, the wire rope 108, the first and second guide rollers 96 and 98, and the winding roller 100 constitute a moving mechanism, and the ratchet gear 104 An engagement mechanism and a stopper mechanism are realized by a one-way ratchet mechanism including the ratchet pawl 106 and the ratchet pawl 106.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper divided cover 76 is positioned at the top dead center position of the sliding movement, and the cover main body 54 is in the closed state, so that the cover main body as shown in FIG. In order to set the open state of 54, the ratchet pawl 106 is lifted upward and is swung or rotated so that the engagement between the ratchet pawl 106 and the ratchet gear 104 is released. Accordingly, the ratchet gear 104, the rotary handle 102, and the take-up roller 100 are allowed to rotate counterclockwise, and the upper divided cover 76 is slid downward by its own weight. Then, when the lower end surface of the upper division cover 76 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11, the downward sliding movement automatically stops at the bottom dead center position, The divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 are overlapped with each other so that the cover main body 54 is opened. And when the cover main body 54 is in the open state in this way, for example, even if strong wind blows against the cover main body 54 from the car wash brush 16 side, such wind will open the cover main body 54. The upper half portion thus blows out to the back side of the cover main body 54.

  In the car wash machine 10 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 9, the cover body 54 (brush cover 52) on the upper surface of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 is disposed on the outer surface side. A cylinder type hydraulic damper 110 is disposed on each side of the cover body 54 in the width direction. And the front-end | tip part of the piston rod 112 of each of these hydraulic dampers 110 is being fixed to the strip | belt-shaped body 80 attached to the upper end part of the upper side division | segmentation cover 76. Thus, when the upper divided cover 76 is slid downward by its own weight, a predetermined resistance force is applied to the upper divided cover 76 from each hydraulic damper 110, and the upper divided cover 76 is moved downward. The sliding movement can be performed slowly and safely, and the impact when contacting the upper surface of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11 can be reduced as much as possible. As is clear from this, in this embodiment, the hydraulic damper 110 constitutes a resistance means.

  As described above, in the car wash machine 10 of the present embodiment, the cover main body 54 can be opened and closed simply by rotating the rotary handle 102 or releasing the engagement between the ratchet gear 104 and the ratchet pawl 106. It can be broken. When the cover main body 54 is in the open state, the wind blown from the car wash brush 16 side to the cover main body 54 blows out to the back side of the cover main body 54, so that such wind is applied to the upper side that gives the cover main body 54. It is possible to advantageously avoid hitting the entire divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 strongly.

  Therefore, in such a car wash machine 10, during storage that is not used, for example, a robust and high installation such as a pole standing on the ground or a pillar of a building is used, and the brush cover 52 is attached with a rope or the like. Without carrying out any troublesome work such as tying up several places, the fall of the brush cover 52 (cover body 54) due to contact with the wind can be performed by simply performing an extremely simple operation to open the cover body 54. It can be prevented very advantageously.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the cover main body 54 has a divided structure composed of an upper divided cover 76 and a lower divided cover 78 having substantially the same size, and the upper divided cover 76 and the upper divided cover 76 are open when the cover main body 54 is open. The lower divided cover 78 is arranged so as to overlap each other. Therefore, the contact area of the cover main body 54 in the opened state with the wind is approximately half that of the cover main body 54 in the closed state, and thereby the cover main body 54 in the opened state. The wind force acting on the vehicle can be advantageously reduced, so that the car wash machine 10 can be prevented more effectively from being overturned.

  In addition, the upper divided cover 76 and the lower divided cover 78 that are overlapped with each other in the open state of the cover main body 54 are positioned at the lower portion of the cover main body 54 so that the upper portion is opened. Therefore, it acts as a moment of wind force acting when a strong wind strikes the upper and lower divided covers 76 and 78 when the cover main body 54 is opened, that is, a force for overturning the car wash machine 10. The moment to do can be advantageously reduced. Also by this, the fall of the car wash machine 10 due to wind can be further effectively prevented.

  Further, in the car wash machine 10, the machine base 11 is provided with the outrigger 31 that can be expanded and contracted in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the machine base 11 is fixed to the ground by the outrigger 31. This also prevents the car wash machine 10 from being overturned by the wind. Further, since the outrigger 31 can be stored in the housing 33 during the car wash operation, the use of the car wash machine 10 is not hindered.

  Further, in the car wash machine 10 of the present embodiment, the upper divided cover 76 is supported in a state of being suspended or suspended by the wire rope 108, and the wire rope 108 is supported by the take-up roller 100. The upper split cover 76 is slid upward by being wound along with the rotation thereof, while the engagement between the ratchet gear 104 and the ratchet pawl 106 which is not allowed to rotate relative to the winding roller 100 is released. The upper divided cover 76 can be slid downward only by being done. Therefore, the support mechanism of the upper divided cover 76, the slide movement mechanism in the vertical direction, and the opening / closing mechanism of the cover body 54 can be made relatively simple.

  Furthermore, in the car wash machine 10, the winding roller 100 is easily rotated manually by the rotating handle 102, so that the closing operation of the cover body 54 can be easily performed.

Further, in the car wash machine 10, the upper damper cover 76 is slowly slid downward by the hydraulic damper 110, and an impact is possible when it contacts the upper surface of the base portion 18 of the machine base 11. The opening operation of the cover body 54 can be advantageously carried out more safely and without causing unnecessary damage to the upper divided cover 76.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the winding roller 100 rotates in the direction in which the wire rope 108 is wound, the rotation of the winding roller 100 in the opposite direction is prevented by the engagement between the ratchet gear 104 and the ratchet pawl 106. As a result, the slide movement of the upper divided cover 76 to the lower side performs any special operation during the closing operation of the cover main body 54 or when it is completely closed. It is stopped without. Therefore, the closing operation of the cover main body 54 can be performed more smoothly, and the closed state of the cover main body 54 can be further advantageously maintained.

  In addition, in the car wash machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the flange portions 82 provided at both end portions in the width direction of the upper divided cover 76 are first recessed grooves 84 provided in the two column portions 56 and 56, respectively. Thus, the cover body 54 can be opened and closed more smoothly because it can be smoothly slid in the vertical direction while being guided by the guide roller 88.

  The specific configuration of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited by the above description.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper divided cover 76 is suspended by two wire ropes 108 and 108, and the two wire ropes 108 and 108 are wound by the winding roller 100, thereby It was supposed to be able to slide. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, two wire ropes 108 and 108 attached to the upper divided cover 76 are connected to one wire rope 108 by a known joint member 114, and this one The wire rope 108 may be configured to be wound by the winding roller 100. According to such a structure, the number of the first guide rollers 96 around which the wire rope 108 is wound can be reduced, and the total extension distance of the wire rope 108 to be used can be reduced. The simplification and low cost of the structure for supporting the cover 76 and thus the entire car wash machine 10 can be advantageously achieved. 14 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 which will be described later, the members and parts having the same structure as that of the embodiment shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 13 are attached, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotary handle 102 is attached to the winding roller 100 so as not to be relatively rotatable, and by the manual rotation operation of the rotary handle 102, the winding operation of the wire rope 108 by the winding roller 100, Accordingly, the cover main body 54 is closed. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a known electric motor 116 connected to the take-up roller 100 is fixed to each column portion 56. Thus, the winding operation of the wire rope 108 by the winding roller 100 can be automatically performed by the electric motor 116. Thereby, automation of the opening / closing operation of the cover main body 54 can be advantageously realized. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 118 denotes a gear box that connects the drive shaft of the electric motor 116 and the rotation shaft of the winding roller 100 so as to be integrally rotatable. As is clear from this, in the present embodiment, the slide drive mechanism is configured to include the electric motor 116 and the gear box.

  In the present embodiment, two wire ropes 108 attached to the upper divided cover 76 are fixed to each of the two column portions 56 by one winding roller 100 and one electric motor 116. , 108 are respectively wound by a separate electric motor 116 and winding roller 100. Therefore, here, for example, the two electric motors 116 and 116 are electrically connected to the control device 40, respectively, and the control device 40 can be rotationally driven in synchronization with each other. ing. That is, for example, when the control device 40 compares the magnitudes of the rotational torques of the two electric motors 116 and 116 and they are different from each other, only the electric motor 116 having the smaller rotational torque rotates. The upper side to which the two wire ropes 108 and 108 are attached is driven by the electric motor 116 having a smaller rotational torque or being driven to rotate at a higher speed than the electric motor 116 having a larger rotational torque. The upper divided cover 76 is slid upward in a state where both end portions in the width direction of the divided cover 76 are horizontally positioned.

  Further, even when the opening / closing operation of the cover main body 54 is automated using the electric motor 116 as described above, the two wire ropes 108 and 108 are connected to each other by the joint member 114 as shown in FIG. A structure connected to the book can be advantageously employed. Then, only one winding roller 100 and one electric motor 116 are required, and a control mechanism for rotating and driving the two electric motors 116 and 116 in synchronization is not necessary. Simplification of the entire structure and cost reduction can be effectively achieved.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation operation of the rotary handle 102 is directly linked to the rotation of the winding roller 100 so that the wire rope 108 is wound. However, as shown in FIG. A worm portion 122 may be provided on the rotating shaft of the handle 102 and a worm gear 124 may be provided on the rotating shaft of the winding roller 100 so that the worm gear 120 is interposed between the winding roller 100 and the rotating handle 102. Accordingly, even when the rotation operation of the rotary handle 102 is manually performed, the wire rope 108 can be easily wound with a small force. Further, by using the worm gear 120, it is possible to prevent the reverse rotation of the winding roller 100 due to the weight of the upper divided cover 76. That is, the upper divided cover 76 can be prevented from dropping when the upper divided cover 76 is slid up and down. In this case, the reverse rotation prevention or locking safety mechanism such as a ratchet mechanism can be omitted as appropriate.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the ratchet mechanism including the ratchet gear 104 and the ratchet pawl 106 constitutes a stopper mechanism that prevents the upper divided cover 76 from sliding downward when the cover body 54 is closed. However, the structure of the stopper mechanism is not limited to this.

  For example, a predetermined engagement pin is provided at a predetermined position of the column portion 56 so that a distal end portion is inserted between the column portions 56, while the upper divided cover 76 is at the top dead center position. When positioned, the side portions of the upper divided cover 76 corresponding to the insertion holes are provided with engagement holes into which the distal end portions of the engagement pins enter and can be engaged, and the insertion holes are inserted through the insertion holes. It is also possible to provide engaging means for preventing the upper divided cover 76 from sliding downward by mutual engagement of the engaging pin and the engaging hole, and the stopper mechanism can be configured by this engaging means.

  In addition, the structure of the engaging means constituting the stopper mechanism is provided between the upper divided cover 76 and the support 56, and when the upper divided cover 76 is at the top dead center position, In addition to the above, a structure that is engaged between the upper divided cover 76 and the support column 56 so as to prevent the sliding movement may be employed. The position at which the downward movement of the upper divided cover 76 is prevented by such an engaging means can be set as the top dead center position of the upper divided cover 76. In that case, the engaging projections 89 provided on each column 56 can be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the ratchet mechanism causes the, the cover body 54 is closed although the rotation of the rotation handle 102 of the (upper split cover 76 in the upper direction sliding movement is allowed) in the direction allowed, the opposite side Although the engaging mechanism for preventing the rotation handle 102 from rotating is also configured in conjunction with the stopper mechanism, it is of course possible to configure the engaging mechanism in a separate structure independent of the stopper mechanism. .

  Further, when the illustrated ratchet mechanism is employed as the engagement mechanism, for example, a known one-way clutch is interposed between the rotary handle 102 and the ratchet gear 104 or the take-up roller 100 to cover the cover main body 54. When the ratchet gear 104 and the take-up roller 100 are rotated in the direction in which the ratchet gear 104 is closed, the rotary handle 102 is rotated together therewith, but when the ratchet gear 104 and the take-up roller 100 are rotated in the opposite direction, You may comprise so that the rotation handle 102 may not rotate. Thereby, in particular, when the cover body 54 is closed, it is possible to advantageously prevent the rotation handle 102 from coming into contact with other articles and the like, and the closing operation is obstructed. It can be implemented more safely.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the flange portion 82 is provided as the convex fitting portion on the upper divided cover 76, while the first concave groove 84 serving as the concave guide fitting portion is provided in the column portion 56. However, instead of or in addition to this, the upper divided cover 76 may be provided with a concave fitting portion such as a groove, while the column portion 56 may be provided with a convex guide fitting portion such as a ridge. . In the embodiment, there is no problem even if the guide roller 88 provided in the support column 56 is omitted.

  Further, the cover body 54 may be divided into three or more in the vertical direction. In that case, for example, only the uppermost divided cover is suspended by the suspension member and is slid upward along with the rotation of the take-up roller 100, while being located at the lowermost side. The upper and lower ends of the split cover excluding the split cover are provided with engaging portions that engage with the split cover located on the upper side or the lower side of the split cover. A structure is adopted in which the divided cover positioned on the lower side is sequentially slid upward by sliding movement. Accordingly, a plurality of divisions except for the lowermost division cover with a simpler structure can be slid upward, and the cover body 54 can be easily closed.

  Further, the cover main body 54 may of course have a divided structure that is divided into two or three or more in the left-right direction (horizontal direction). In this case, the plurality of divided covers are slid in the left-right direction. Then, advantageously, a configuration is adopted in which the cover main body 54 is in an open state in a state where the plurality of divided covers that have been slid and moved are positioned to overlap each other.

  As described above, when the cover main body 54 is divided into three or more in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, the size of each divided cover can be made smaller. Thereby, when they are positioned to overlap each other, the contact area of the cover body 54 with the wind can be more effectively reduced.

  In addition, the suspension member that suspends the upper divided cover 76 is not particularly limited to the wire rope 108, and any of various known suspension members can be used.

  Further, the moving mechanism that slides the divided cover is not limited to the illustrated one. For example, while attaching the rack to the side surface of the split cover, a gear mechanism that slideably moves the split cover along with the rotation of the pinion by rotatably providing a pinion that engages the rack with respect to each support column, A known screw mechanism or the like that is a combination of a rotatable and non-movable screw shaft and a nut that is screwed to the screw shaft can be used instead of the illustrated moving mechanism.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the resistance means configured by the hydraulic damper 110 is not particularly limited to this. For example, a rubber that is in sliding contact with the upper divided cover 76 on the inner surface of the first groove 84. A sliding contact member made of an elastic body or the like may be provided, thereby constituting a resistance means. Further, by providing a counterweight with respect to the upper divided cover 76, the slide lowering speed of the upper divided cover 76 is reduced, and an unintentional sudden drop of the upper divided cover 76 is prevented to improve safety. It is also possible to plan.

  Further, instead of sliding the divided cover in the vertical direction, a structure in which the cover main body is opened and closed by sliding in the horizontal direction may be employed. Further, instead of the structure in which the cover body is opened and closed by sliding the split cover, for example, the split cover is pivotally supported with respect to the support column, and the cover is rotated by rotating the split cover. A structure for opening and closing the main body can be adopted. In addition, at least a part of the cover body is provided with an expandable / contractible bellows part, or at least a part of the cover body is configured in a flexible sheet shape, and at least a part of the cover body is configured to be foldable. A structure in which the open state is established by folding, while the closed state is established by unfolding from the folded state may be employed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, the cover body is composed of a plurality of rectangular plate-shaped or strip-shaped divided pieces, and the substantially vertical direction in which the divided pieces are closed based on a suitable rotation around one axis. A louvered or blind that can be selectively set at each holding position in a disposition state (closed state) depending on the position and an disposition state (open state) in which the divided pieces are opened in a substantially horizontal direction. And a rotation mechanism (not shown) that connects the respective divided pieces so as to be rotatable and operates in conjunction with each other so that the cover body is open and closed. It may be switched by changing the above. In addition, as the rotating mechanism of each divided piece, an interlocking arm that is locked at a position that can exert a rotational driving force around the rotation axis is applied to each divided piece, and this linked arm is operated. Various known methods such as providing a driving force transmission mechanism that exerts a force may be employed. However, since such a drive mechanism is a well-known technique and mechanism in a blind or the like, illustration and detailed description thereof are omitted here.

  Furthermore, although not explicitly shown in the drawings, it is possible to have a structure similar to a roll blind in which the cover body is opened and closed by winding and rewinding the cover body in a sheet form. It is. Even with such a structure, the apparatus can be prevented from being overturned with a simple operation and without any use of an installation or the like due to the brush cover getting wind.

  In addition, the present invention provides a machine base having traveling wheels, a car wash brush supported to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction with respect to the machine base, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the car wash brush. And a cleaning liquid injection mechanism for supplying the cleaning liquid to the car wash portion of the car wash brush and injecting at the car wash portion of the car wash brush, and at least partially supporting the periphery of the car wash portion of the car wash brush. If it includes a brush cover that prevents splashing of the cleaning liquid sprayed by the spray mechanism, it can be advantageously applied to various types of movable car wash machines and installation type car wash machines. Can be done.

  Specifically, for example, in addition to a car wash machine having a self-propelled movement type structure equipped with a steering control mechanism of a different control method as exemplified, a car wash machine having a structure that can be run only by remote control operation, Although it is a self-propelled type, it is replaced with a car wash machine having a structure in which steering is performed manually, or a car wash machine having a structure that does not have any motor generator for rotationally driving a tank for storing cleaning liquid or a running wheel, and a motor. The present invention can be advantageously applied to any conventionally known various types of car wash machines such as a car wash machine having a structure in which traveling wheels are driven to rotate by an internal combustion engine or the like.

  In addition, although not enumerated one by one, the present invention can be carried out in a mode to which various changes, modifications, improvements, etc. are added based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. It goes without saying that all are included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is front explanatory drawing which shows one Embodiment of the car wash machine which has a structure according to this invention. It is left side explanatory drawing of the car wash shown by FIG. It is upper surface explanatory drawing of the car wash machine shown by FIG. It is bottom surface explanatory drawing of the machine base which the car wash machine shown by FIG. 1 has. It is A arrow explanatory drawing in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view taken along the line BB in FIG. It is CC sectional explanatory drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the assembly structure with respect to the machine base of the rotating shaft of the brush cover and the car wash brush which the car wash machine shown in FIG. 1 has. It is right side explanatory drawing in FIG. It is DD sectional explanatory drawing in FIG. It is EE cross-section explanatory drawing in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows a form when a cover main body is opened in FIG. It is the elements on larger scale in FIG. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 12 which shows another embodiment of the self-propelled car wash machine according to this invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 9 which shows another embodiment of the self-propelled car wash machine according to this invention. It is a figure corresponding to FIG. 13 which shows another embodiment of the self-propelled car wash machine according to this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cover main body used for another embodiment of the self-propelled car wash machine according to the present invention.

  10: car wash machine, 11: machine base, 14: tire for running, 16: car wash brush, 17: rotating shaft, 18: base part, 26: motor for running, 31: outrigger, 40: control device, 44: Submersible pump, 52: Brush cover, 54: Cover body, 56: Strut section, 64: Brush drive motor, 70: Injection port, 76: Upper divided cover, 78: Lower divided cover, 82: Flange section, 84: No. One groove, 100: winding roller, 102: rotating handle, 104: ratchet gear, 106: ratchet pawl, 108: wire rope, 110: hydraulic damper, 116: electric motor

Claims (9)

A machine base having a running wheel, a car wash brush supported by the machine base and rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction, a rotary drive mechanism for rotating the car wash brush, and a car wash portion by the car wash brush A washing liquid supply mechanism for supplying the washing liquid to the machine base, and a brush cover supported by the machine base and covering a substantially half circumference of the car washing brush opposite to the car washing side to prevent the washing liquid from scattering. In
The brush cover is supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to a support column erected on the machine base .
The brush cover has a divided structure composed of a plurality of divided covers supported by the support column, and at least one of the plurality of divided covers is slidable, and the at least one divided cover As the slide moves, the brush cover is opened and closed, and the plurality of divided covers are overlapped with each other in the open state of the brush cover, and
The plurality of divided covers in the brush cover have a form formed by dividing the brush cover in the vertical direction, and are located at the lowermost lower divided cover and above the lower divided cover. And at least one upper divided cover supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the support column, and the brush is moved along with the downward sliding movement of the upper divided cover. A car wash machine , wherein the cover is opened and the upper divided cover is superimposed on the lower divided cover when the brush cover is opened . The at least one upper divided cover is attached to one end of a long suspension member such as a wire rope and is suspended by the suspension member so that it can be slid vertically. The car wash machine according to claim 1 , which is supported by the support column. The upper divided cover is slid downward by its own weight, and when the upper divided cover is slid downward, a predetermined resistance force is applied to the upper divided cover so that the upper divided cover The car wash machine according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising resistance means for reducing the speed of the downward sliding movement. A rotary handle provided so as to be rotatable about one axis, and a rotary handle of the rotary handle provided between the rotary shaft of the rotary handle and the split cover that is slidable. after having converted into a linear motion along the direction along with the rotation of the rotary handle, any one of claims 1 to 3 and a moving mechanism for sliding the split cover, is further provided The car wash machine according to item 1. Although the rotation handle is allowed to rotate in the direction in which the divided cover is slid in the direction to close the brush cover, the rotation handle is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction. The car wash machine according to claim 4 , further comprising an engagement mechanism that releasably engages with the car wash machine. On the edge of the split cover that is made slidable, a convex fitting part or a concave fitting part is provided so as to extend in the sliding movement direction of the at least one split cover, A concave guide fitting portion or a convex guide fitting portion in which the convex fitting portion or the concave fitting portion of the divided cover is fitted into the concave and convex portions is provided so as to extend in the sliding movement direction of the divided cover. cover, the convex fitting portion or the concave fitting portion, while being guided by the recessed guiding the fitting portion or convex guide fitting portion of said supporting column portion, claim adapted to be slid mobile 1 The car wash machine according to any one of claims 5 to 5 . Car wash machine according to any one of the slidable and to automatically slide driving mechanism for sliding the split cover was found claims 1 to 6 is further provided. When the slidable split cover is slid to the closed position, the split cover is releasably locked with the split cover in a direction to open the brush cover. a stopper mechanism for restricting the sliding movement of the split cover, car wash machine according to any one of claims 1 to claim 7 is further provided. The car wash machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein an outrigger is storable with respect to the machine base.

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