JPH0225822B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Object of the Invention (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a washing method using a mobile car wash machine.

(2) Conventional technology A gate-shaped frame that can straddle the vehicle to be washed and move back and forth along the front and rear directions of the vehicle, a top brush that can move up and down along the top surface of the vehicle, and a gate-shaped frame that moves back and forth over the top brush. Using a car wash machine equipped with a pair of side brushes arranged at the rear side of the vehicle and capable of moving in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the top brush and the side brushes being actuated when the gate-shaped frame is running, Methods for automatically cleaning vehicles are known in the art.

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Conventionally, when using such a car wash machine to wash a vehicle equipped with door mirrors, a large surface pressure is applied from the side brushes to the door mirrors that protrude to the sides of the vehicle. As a result, the door mirrors were sometimes damaged due to the side brushes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a washing method using a car wash machine, which prevents damage to the door mirror by the side brush by moving the side brush away from the side of the vehicle at the door mirror.

B. Structure of the invention (1) Means for solving the problem In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides a top brush that contacts the windshield surface of a vehicle and rises to a predetermined height while the gate frame is moving. Sometimes,
Each side brush is moved away from the side of the vehicle, and when the gantry frame has traveled a predetermined distance, each side brush is moved close to the side of the vehicle, and the frame is then moved until the gantry frame stops moving forward. During the go-around of the portal frame,
When the gate-shaped frame goes back by a predetermined amount corrected from the amount of movement, each of the side brushes is moved away from the side of the vehicle, and when the gate-shaped frame goes back by a predetermined amount, the side brushes move toward the side of the vehicle. It is characterized by being operated in close proximity, and the second
The present invention provides for separating each side brush from the side of the vehicle when the gate-shaped frame moves a first predetermined amount from the time when the top brush comes into contact with the windshield surface of the vehicle and rises to a predetermined height while the gate-shaped frame is moving back and forth. and when the portal frame moves forward a second predetermined distance, each side brush is moved close to the side of the vehicle,
Then, the amount of movement of the gantry frame until it stops forward movement is measured, and while the gantry frame is going back, the gantry frame moves back by a predetermined correction amount from the amount of movement. At times, each of the side brushes is moved away from the side of the vehicle, and when the portal frame has gone back a predetermined distance, each of the side brushes is moved closer to the side of the vehicle. According to the above, when a gate-shaped frame is traveling, the top brush is displaced upward to a predetermined height by contact with the windshield surface of the vehicle, so that the side brush approaches the door mirror located at a position substantially in line with the windshield surface. Also, when the portal frame is going back, it can detect that the side brush approaches the door mirror based on the amount measured during the going, and automatically move the side brush away from the side of the vehicle. . Therefore, when the side brush passes the door mirror both when the portal frame is moving forward and backward, the side brush can be kept as far away from the door mirror as possible.

Particularly, according to the configuration of the second invention, when the gate-shaped frame moves by the first predetermined amount from the time when the top brush comes into contact with the windshield surface of the vehicle and rises to a predetermined height while the gate-shaped frame is traveling, each Since the side brushes are moved away from the side of the vehicle, by appropriately setting the first predetermined amount according to the deviation in the arrangement positions of the top brush and the side brushes,
The start timing of the mirror avoidance operation of the side brush when moving toward and from the gate-shaped frame can be delayed as much as possible within a range that does not interfere with the effect of preventing damage to the door mirror as described above.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. A pair of front and rear wheels 3
is a rail 4 extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
One of the wheels 3 is rotationally driven by a traveling drive device M. Therefore, the gate-shaped frame 2 is movable along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

The portal frame 2 is provided with a rotating brush device B, a drying device D, and other processing devices (not shown), and the operation of the traveling drive device M, the rotating brush device B, the drying device D, and other processing devices is as follows. It is controlled by an electronic circuit (not shown) in a control panel 5 provided in the gate-shaped frame 2.

Referring also to FIG. 2, rotating brush device B
is equipped with a top brush 6 that can be raised and lowered, and a pair of left and right side brushes 7 that are movable in the left and right directions of the vehicle V. (See FIG. 1).

The top brush 6 is swingably supported via a swing arm 10 on a horizontal shaft 9 that is rotatably supported on the portal frame 2 . One swinging arm 10 is provided with a prime mover 11 on its upper part, and the top brush 6 is rotationally driven from this prime mover 11 via a transmission mechanism within the swinging arm 10. Also, the other swinging arm 1
A sprocket 12 is fixed to the horizontal shaft 9 supporting the horizontal shaft 9, and a drive shaft 13 is rotatably supported on the portal frame 2 on the side of the horizontal shaft 9. sprocket 14 is fixed. An endless chain 15 is suspended between both sprockets 12 and 14. A piston rod 18 of an air cylinder 17 whose lower end is supported by a portal frame is connected to the drive shaft 13 . Therefore, by driving the air cylinder 17 to extend, the top brush 6 can be held in the upper storage position as shown by the two-dot chain line. Furthermore, when the air cylinder 17 is inactivated, the top brush 6 can move freely forward and backward of the portal frame 2 around the horizontal axis 9 between the upper retracted position and the lower limit position hanging down from the horizontal axis 9. During the cleaning process, the top brush 6 comes into contact with the top surface of the vehicle and swings up and down depending on the shape of the top surface of the vehicle.

An arm 19 is fixed in the middle of the horizontal shaft 9, and projects toward the traveling direction 8 when the top brush 6 is at the lower limit position, and a magnet 20 is fixed to the tip of this arm 19. On the other hand, a contact element 21 that operates as a switch when facing the magnet 20 is fixedly disposed on the gate-shaped frame 2. When the magnet 20 is angularly displaced by a certain amount toward the rear along the
It is placed in a position opposite to. This magnet 2
0 and the contact element 21, the top brush 6 is connected to the windshield surface F of the vehicle V (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
This is to detect that the side brush 7 has come into contact with the door mirror DM and has risen to a predetermined height, that is, that the side brush 7 has approached the door mirror DM that is located at a position that is approximately in line with the windshield surface F, and the detection signal is sent to the control panel. 5
input to the internal electronic circuit.

The rotating shafts 22 of the pair of side brushes 7 are held by a holding cylinder 23 that extends vertically.
3 is fixed to the moving frame 24. The moving frame 24 is slidably engaged with a guide rail 25 that extends horizontally on the gate-shaped frame 2, and is driven in the left-right direction of the rail 25 by a drive means (not shown). Further, both ends of the guide rail 25 are rotatably supported by the portal frame 2 via a support shaft 26. Therefore, the guide rail 25, moving frame 24, holding tube 23, rotating shaft
The side brush 7 is swingable along the traveling direction of the gate-shaped frame 2 using the support shaft 26 as a fulcrum. Further, a prime mover 27 is supported on the movable frame 24, and an endless chain 30 is attached to a sprocket 28 fixed to the output shaft of the prime mover 27 and a sprocket 29 fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 22. The side brush 7 is rotated by a motor 27.

The drying device D includes a pair of side air blowing nozzles 31 that open inward on both sides of the gate-shaped frame 2, and a top air blowing nozzle 32 that opens downward at the top, which are connected to a blower 33. The blower nozzle 32 is raised and lowered by a lifting means (not shown) in accordance with the height of the vehicle to be dried.

Next, the operation of the rotary brush device B in the cleaning process will be described. The brushing cleaning operation of the rotary brush device B is completed by one reciprocating movement of the portal frame 2. Therefore, first of all, let's look at Figures 3 and 4.
The operation of the portal frame 2 when it moves back and forth will be explained with reference to the drawings.

When the gate-shaped frame 2 starts moving, both side brushes 7 are located at the innermost position, and the gate-shaped frame 2
When the side brush 7 reaches a position where it comes into sliding contact with the front surface of the vehicle V, the forward motion of the gate-shaped frame 2 is temporarily stopped, and the side brush 7 temporarily moves outward while cleaning the front surface of the vehicle V. Next, the forward movement of the gate-shaped frame 3 is resumed, and the side brushes 7 move inward to clean the side surfaces of the vehicle V. When this side brush 7 comes to a predetermined position 7A near the door mirror DM, the top brush 6
is located at the position shown at 6A in FIG. 3, and rotates so as to come into contact with the windshield surface F of the vehicle V and rise to a predetermined height, and the magnet 20 faces the contact element 21, and the detection signal is transmitted to the electronic circuit. is input. When this detection signal is input, or when the first set time _T1 has elapsed from the time of input and the portal frame 2 has moved by the first predetermined amount, that is, when the side brush 7 has come to the position 7B, The side brushes 7 start moving outward and move away from the side of the vehicle V. Next, after the second set time T ₂ has elapsed from the start of the separation movement, the portal frame 2 moves to the second position.
When the side brush 7 has traveled a predetermined distance, the side brush 7 starts approaching the vehicle V.

Here, the first set time T ₁ is determined depending on the positional deviation between the top brush 6 and the side brush 7, and the time from when the top brush 6 reaches the set position of the door mirror DM, that is, near the front window portion, to when the side brush 7 The time required for the door mirror DM to come close to the door mirror DM is set based on the traveling speed of the gate-shaped frame 2. Further, the second set time T ₂ is preset as a time sufficient for the side brush 7 to separate from and pass the door mirror DM.

After the second set time _T2 has elapsed, the side brush 7 resumes its approach to the side surface of the vehicle V and continuously cleans the side surface, and the gate-shaped frame 2 passes through the vehicle V. Then, the closed position shown by 7C is reached, the forward movement of the gate-shaped frame 2 is stopped, and the cleaning process is completed. After the second set time T ₂ elapses, position 7C
The time T ₃ from the start of the approach movement of the side brush 7 to the side of the vehicle V to the position shown by the gate frame 2
This corresponds to the amount of movement of the same frame 2 until the end of the forward movement, and it differs depending on the length of the vehicle V, and the time T ₃ is measured by an electronic circuit. .

In FIG. 5, when the gate-shaped frame 2 is going back, when the side brush 7 detects the rear surface of the vehicle V, the gate-shaped frame 2 temporarily stops the going-back operation, and the side brush 7 moves outward. Moving. The time T ₄ from the start of the go-around to the moment of stopping of this portal frame 2 is measured. Next, gate-shaped frame 2
When the go-around operation is started, the side brush 7 moves close to the side of the vehicle V, and the time _T5 from the time when the go-around is resumed is also measured.

A time T ₇ is set, which is obtained by subtracting a preset correction time T ₆ from the measurement time T ₃ at the time of going out.
The sum of the measurement times T ₄ and T ₅ is equal to T ₇ (T ₄ + T ₅
=T ₇ ) When the side brush 7 is bent, the side brush 7 is operated to move away from the side of the vehicle V. The correction time T ₆ is
Traveling speed of portal frame 2 and side brush 7
is set based on the movement speed of After the separation operation of the side brush 7 starts, the second set time
When T ₂ has elapsed, the side brush 7
Thereafter, the side brush 7 moves while cleaning the side surface of the vehicle V, and then returns to its original position.

Thus, when the gate-shaped frame 2 moves back and forth, the top brush 6 is displaced upward to a predetermined height by contact with the windshield surface F, so that the door mirror is positioned substantially in line with the windshield surface F. It is possible to detect that the side brush 7 approaches the DM, and during the go-around, it is possible to detect that the side brush 7 approaches the door mirror DM based on the amount measured during the go-around. Based on these detection results, the side brush 7 can be automatically moved away from the side of the vehicle, so that the side brush 7 can be moved away from the side mirror DM.
When passing through, the side brush 7 can be kept as far away from the door mirror DM as possible, and damage to the door mirror DM can be prevented.

In addition, by appropriately setting the first set time T ₁ according to the deviation in the arrangement positions of the top brush 6 and the side brushes 7, the timing at which the mirror avoidance operation of the side brushes 7 starts when the portal frame 2 moves back and forth can be adjusted. This can be made as slow as possible within a range that does not hinder the achievement of the effect of preventing damage to the door mirror as described above, and the cleaning effect of the side brush 7 on the side of the vehicle can be increased accordingly.

In the above embodiment, a car washer is described in which one washing process is completed by one reciprocating movement of the gate-shaped frame 2, but in the present invention, one washing process is completed by one more reciprocating movement of the gate-shaped frame 2. It can also be implemented in conjunction with a car wash machine that completes a washing process, in which case the same operation control as in the first outgoing operation may be performed.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, when the top brush comes into contact with the windshield surface of the vehicle and rises to a predetermined height while the portal frame is moving, each side brush is moved away from the side of the vehicle. When the gantry frame has traveled a predetermined distance, move each side brush close to the side of the vehicle, measure the amount of movement of the gantry frame until it stops moving, and then measure the amount of movement of the gantry frame. During a go-around, when the portal frame goes back by a predetermined amount of correction from the amount of movement, each of the side brushes is moved away from the side of the vehicle, and when the portal frame goes back by a predetermined amount, each of the side brushes moves away from the side of the vehicle. Since the brush is moved close to the side of the vehicle, when moving around the gate-shaped frame,
Utilizing the fact that the top brush moves up to a predetermined height due to contact with the vehicle windshield surface,
Detects that the side brush approaches the door mirror located approximately in line with the windshield surface,
The side brushes can be automatically moved away from the side of the vehicle, and when the gate-shaped frame is going back, it detects that the side brushes have approached the door mirror based on the amount measured during going out, and the side brushes can be automatically moved away from the side of the vehicle. Therefore, when the side brush passes the door mirror both when the portal frame is moving forward and backward, the side brush can be kept as far away from the door mirror as possible, and damage to the door mirror can be effectively prevented. be able to.

Particularly, according to the second invention, when the gate frame moves by a first predetermined amount from the time when the top brush comes into contact with the windshield surface of the vehicle and rises to a predetermined height while the gate frame is moving, each of the side brushes Since it was made to move away from the side of the vehicle,
By appropriately setting the first predetermined amount according to the deviation in the arrangement positions of the top brush and the side brushes, the timing at which the mirror avoidance operation of the side brushes starts when moving around the portal frame can be adjusted to prevent damage to the door mirrors as described above. This can be made as slow as possible within a range that does not interfere with the prevention effect, and the cleaning effect of the side brush on the side of the vehicle can be increased accordingly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1 is a simplified vertical side view of a car wash machine, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the top brush drive mechanism, and Fig. 3 is a view of the gate-shaped frame when it is traveling. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the locus of the side brush when going out, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the locus of the side brush when going back. 1...Car wash machine, 2...Gate frame, 6...Top brush, 7...Side brush, 8...Going direction, F...Windshield surface, V...Vehicle.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A top brush 6 that can move up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle V is mounted on a gate-shaped frame 2 that can straddle the vehicle V to be cleaned and can reciprocate along the front and rear directions of the vehicle V.
and a pair of side brushes 7 which are disposed on the rear side of the top brush 6 in the traveling direction of the gate-shaped frame 2 and can move in the left-right direction of the vehicle V. In a car wash machine in which the top brush 6 and side brushes 7 can be operated, while the gate-shaped frame 2 is moving,
When the top brush 6 contacts the windshield surface F of the vehicle V and rises to a predetermined height, each of the side brushes 7 is moved away from the side surface of the vehicle V;
When the gate-shaped frame 2 moves forward a predetermined amount, each side brush 7 is moved close to the side surface of the vehicle V, and the amount of movement of the gate-shaped frame 2 from then until the gate-shaped frame 2 stops moving forward is measured, Furthermore, while the gate-shaped frame 2 is going back, when the gate-shaped frame 2 has gone back by a predetermined amount corrected from the movement amount, each side brush 7 is moved away from the side of the vehicle V, and the gate-shaped frame 2 A washing method using a car washing machine, characterized in that each of the side brushes 7 is moved close to a side surface of a vehicle V when the vehicle has gone back a predetermined distance. 2. A top brush 6 that can move up and down along the top surface of the vehicle V is mounted on a gate-shaped frame 2 that can straddle the vehicle V to be cleaned and can reciprocate along the front and rear directions of the vehicle V.
and a pair of side brushes 7 which are disposed on the rear side of the top brush 6 in the traveling direction of the gate-shaped frame 2 and can move in the left-right direction of the vehicle V. In a car wash machine in which the top brush 6 and side brushes 7 can be operated, while the gate-shaped frame 2 is moving,
When the top brush 6 contacts the windshield surface F of the vehicle V and rises to a predetermined height, when the gate frame 1 moves a first predetermined amount, the side brushes 7 are moved away from the side surface of the vehicle V, and the gate When the mold frame 2 moves forward by a second predetermined amount, each side brush 7 is moved close to the side of the vehicle V, and the amount of movement of the gate-type frame 2 from then until the gate-type frame 2 stops moving forward is measured. Furthermore, while the gate-shaped frame 2 is going back, when the gate-shaped frame 2 has gone back by a predetermined amount corrected from the amount of movement, each side brush 7 is moved away from the side of the vehicle V, and the gate-shaped frame 2. A washing method using a car washing machine, characterized in that each side brush 7 is moved close to the side surface of a vehicle V when the vehicle has gone back a predetermined distance.