JPH0515583B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention provides a car wash machine that moves back and forth across a vehicle to be washed, with both ends supported by a pair of swinging arms, which swing when in contact with the vehicle body. The present invention relates to a car wash machine including at least a top brush for cleaning.

[Prior Art] Generally, as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, this type of car wash machine has a pair of swinging arms 5, 5 that are pivotally supported by a car wash main body 1 that runs on rails 2, 2'. The top brush 3 is supported at both ends by ' and swings when it comes into contact with the vehicle. The top brush 3 performs brushing while tracing the vehicle body as the car wash main body 1 travels, and the top brush 3 swings in opposite directions during forward and return travel.

By the way, in such a car wash machine, there is an inconvenience that the top brush 3 swings and brushes forward of the car wash machine main body 1 during the go-around, splashing washing water onto users and customers. In addition, since the brushing position of the top brush 3 differs greatly between when the car wash main body 1 is going forward and when it is going back, it is necessary to install equipment for spraying washing water, etc. used during brushing, respectively at the front and rear. It had become complicated and expensive.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to improve the brushing by swinging the top brush 3 backward in the same direction as when the main body 1 is traveling back. However, in this case, when making a go-around, the top brush 3 will act so as to protrude the swinging arms 5, 5' toward the car body, and the top brush 3 will come into stronger pressure contact with the car body compared to when going out, and the main body 1 will not be able to move. In addition, the top brush 3 could not be raised smoothly, and there was a risk of damage to the vehicle body.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide brushing by swinging the top brush 3 backward in the same direction as when going out, without causing damage to the vehicle body as described above. The question is whether it can be done.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a means for urging a swing arm to reduce the rearward swing load, a means for switching the action/non-action of the urging means, and a switching means. control means to make the biasing means inactive when the car wash main body is brushing when going back and to actuate the biasing means when brushing is performed when the car wash main body is going back. The above-mentioned problem is solved by performing brushing by swinging the top brush backwards in the same direction as when moving forward.

[Example] Examples thereof will be described below.

2.3 are a front explanatory view and a side explanatory view, respectively, showing the main part configuration of the embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes a car washing machine main body formed in a gate shape and running on a pair of rails 2 and 2', which runs back and forth across cars stopped on the rails 2 and 2' to wash and dry the car bodies.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a top brush provided in the main body 1, which is supported at both ends by a pair of swinging arms 5, 5' which are rotatably supported on both sides of the main body 1 via shafts 4, 4', and is used to clean the vehicle body to be cleaned. It is formed so as to be able to swing along the shape of , and is normally held at the upper standby position as shown in the figure. Reference numeral 6 denotes a motor fixed to one of the swinging arms 5, and the brush 3
drive the rotation. 7 and 7' are weights fixed to the ends of the swinging arms 5 and 5' opposite to the brush support side, which reduce the swinging moment of the brush 3 and allow the brush 3 to smoothly come into contact with the vehicle body. It is equipped as much as possible to swing.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an air cylinder that moves the top brush 3 up and down via a transmission arm 9, which provides operations such as avoiding obstacles during car washing. The transmission arm 9 is fixed to the shaft 4 at a certain angle rearward with respect to the swing arms 5 and 5', so that even if the air cylinder 8 is driven with the top brush 3 hanging down, it will always move backward. It is configured so that it can be swung up. 10
is a tilt sensor that provides rotation data of the shaft 4, and has a rotating body that follows the rotation of the shaft 4,
It consists of a so-called encoder that emits a pulse every time this rotating body rotates by a certain angle, and detects the tilted position of the swing arms 5, 5'.

11 is a top nozzle provided on the top of the main body 1, and blowers 12, 12' and flexible ducts 13, 1
3', and is configured to be movable up and down by a link arm 14. 15 is an air cylinder that drives the top nozzle 11 up and down. Reference numeral 16 denotes a guide wheel attached to the tip of the top nozzle 11, which rotates in contact with the vehicle body when the top nozzle 11 is operated, and maintains a necessary distance from the vehicle body, and also has an air valve 17 provided according to the contact pressure with the vehicle body. The air cylinder 15 is operated to raise and lower the air cylinder 15.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a motor that rotationally drives the wheels 19 of the main body 1. A reset position sensor 20 is provided at the bottom of the main body 1 and switches by sensing a protrusion 21 provided at the rear end of the rail 2. The main body 1 uses the sensing position of the protrusion 21 as the running start position. 22
1 is an operation panel provided on the front side of the main body 1, and is provided with various input means such as inputting car wash work selections, fees, and membership cards.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram mainly showing the pneumatic pipe line in the air cylinder 8 and its control circuit in the embodiment. The port of the air cylinder 8 is connected to the air pressure source 30 through the switching valves 31, 32 and the pressure regulating units 33, 3.
4, air pressure is appropriately introduced. The switching valve 31 has an atmosphere opening port 35, and when the top brush 3 is used, the air cylinder 8 is opened to the atmosphere and the top brush 3 is lowered. Switching valve 32
is used to appropriately switch the air pressure introduced into the air cylinder 8, and the air pressure P ₁ (6 to 7 kg/cm ² in this example) introduced via the pressure regulating unit 33 forces the top brush 3 to move upward. The air pressure P ₂ (approximately 2 kg/cm ² in this example), which is used to raise the top brush 3 to the standby position and is introduced via the pressure regulating unit 34, does not allow the top brush 3 to rise, but prevents the top brush 3 from coming into contact with the vehicle body. Used to reduce the load when ascending due to contact with

Therefore, normally, air pressure _P1 is introduced into the air cylinder 8 via the pressure regulating unit 33 to hold the top brush 3 in the upper standby position, and when washing the car, the switching valve 31 is switched and the air cylinder 8 is exposed to the atmosphere. It is opened and the top brush 3 is lowered. During the car wash, brushing is performed while the body 1 is going back to the atmosphere, and when going back, the switching valves 31 and 32 are closed.
to introduce air pressure P ₂ to the air cylinder 8.

35, 36, 37, 38, 39 are switching valves 31,
32, a drive circuit for the motor 6, the blowers 12, 12', and a switching valve (not shown) for the top nozzle air cylinder 15; 40, the drive circuit 35, 36;
This is a control device that outputs signals to 37, 38, and 39. The control device 40 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and has an operation panel 2.
According to the operation input in step 2, the car wash program registered in the ROM is executed, and each sensor 1
Program operation is performed with reference to detection signals from 0, 20, etc.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a partial outline of the program registered in the ROM of the control device 38, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the car washing operation of the embodiment.
The operation of the embodiment will be explained below based on these two figures.

When the car wash starts in response to an operation input on the operation panel 22 and enters the outgoing process (1), the switching valve 31 is switched to open the air cylinder 8 to the atmosphere and the top brush 3 is lowered, at the same time the motor 6 is driven to Brush the top surface (2). At this time, the top brush 3 is rotated in the opposite rolling direction with respect to the running direction of the main body 1, as shown in FIG. 6a.
The cleaning effect is improved by increasing the contact pressure between the brush and the car body surface. Brushing on the way out is finished,
When the tilt sensor 10 confirms that the top brush has drooped (3), the drive of the motor 6 is stopped.
(Four).

Next, when entering the go-around process (5), the switching valves 31, 3
2, the air pressure P ₂ is introduced into the air cylinder 8, and the motor 6 is driven to start brushing (6). Furthermore, the blowers 12 and 12' are driven, and the air cylinder 15 is deenergized to remove the top nozzle. 11 and start drying (7). At this time, the top brush 3 is rotated in the same direction as when traveling, that is, in the rolling direction relative to the traveling direction of the main body 1, as shown in FIG. 6b, thereby reducing the resistance of the brush against the upper surface of the vehicle body.

During the go-around, if the top brush 3 were to be pushed by the vehicle body surface and sway in the opposite direction from when going out, this will be detected based on the signal from the tilt sensor 10.
(8) Immediately stop the motor 18 to stop the main body 1 from running, and also the motor 6 and the blowers 12 and 1.
2' is stopped, and an alarm is output from the operation panel 22 to notify the abnormality (9). If the go-around process is completed without any abnormalities (10), the valve 32 is switched to introduce air pressure _P1 into the air cylinder 8 to raise the top brush 3 to the standby position, stop the motor 6, and then turn on the blowers 12, 12. ' and return the top nozzle 11 to the standby position (11).

Of the above operations, the operation of the top brush during go-around will be explained in more detail. When air pressure _P2 is introduced into the air cylinder 8 at the step (6), the swinging arms 5, 5' respond to the upward force given by the air cylinder 8 and the top brush 3.
tilts to a position where the gravitational moment of is balanced. When the top brush 3 comes into contact with the vehicle body in this state, the swinging arms 5, 5' are energized by the air cylinder 8.
Since the rotational load in the upward direction is extremely reduced and the rotational load in the opposite direction is high, the top brush 3 is naturally elevated, and as a result, the swinging arm 5,
5' rotates in the same direction as when moving forward.

It should be noted that the embodiment described above is equipped with a side brush for cleaning the side surface of the vehicle body and a nozzle device for spraying cleaning water and liquid materials such as detergent and wax, just like known devices of this type. In addition to the one-reciprocating car wash described above, it is also possible to perform a two-reciprocating car wash with reciprocating brushing as shown in FIG.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention is configured as described above, and when the car wash machine body goes back, the top brush is swung backwards in the same direction as when it goes back to perform brushing, so the user and customers are not splashed with washing water. There are no inconveniences such as the need for complicated and expensive equipment. In addition, during a go-around, the biasing means is applied to reduce the rearward swinging load of the swing arm, so the top brush rises smoothly along the top of the car body, eliminating the risk of damaging the car body. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional car washing operation. FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view showing the main parts of an embodiment of the present invention. Third
The figure is a side explanatory view showing the main parts of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a pneumatic circuit/control circuit diagram of the main parts of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the program of the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the car washing work of the embodiment. 1 is the car wash machine body, 3 is the top brush, 5, 5'
8 is a swing arm, 8 is an air cylinder that functions as a biasing means, 31 and 32 are switching valves that are switching means, 4
0 is a control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a car wash machine that is equipped with at least a top brush that is supported at both ends by a pair of swing arms and swings when it comes into contact with the car body, the main body of the car wash machine moves back and forth across the vehicle to be washed, and a top brush that moves back and forth across the vehicle to be washed is provided with a top brush that swings when it comes into contact with the car body. a means for biasing to reduce the swinging load of the vehicle; a means for switching between activation and deactivation of the biasing means; and a biasing means for controlling the switching means to perform brushing when the car wash machine body moves back and forth. The car wash machine is provided with a control means that makes the brushing function inactive and activates the biasing means when brushing is to be performed during the same go-around, so that when the main body of the car wash machine is going back, the top brush is swung backward in the same direction as when it is going back, and brushing is performed. Characteristic car wash machine.