JP2003063363A - Wheel washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wheel washing machine capable of certainly removing not only dirt adhered to the ground contact surface of a wheel but also the dirt adhered to the side face of the wheel, and preventing the liquid used for washing from splashing to the car body side. SOLUTION: The wheel washing machine 1, in which both side walls and the ground contact surface of the wheel are washed simultaneously by rotating the wheel surrounded with a washing unit at the lower part on an endless belt, is provided with a first brush 9A for side wall being in contact with a side wall of the wheel, a second brush 9B for side wall being in contact with the other side wall of wheel, a brush 10 for the ground contact surface being in contact with the ground contact surface of the wheel, and a splash preventing cover 11 equipped over the brushes and for preventing the medium for washing from splashing upwards.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel washer used for removing dirt from wheels provided on various vehicles such as a catering car, a dolly, and a wheelchair.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For use in a place where cleanliness is required, such as a catering room and a clean room, it has been considered to remove stains on wheels of a catering car and various trucks using a wheel washer. ing. For such a wheel washer, not only dirt on the ground surface of the wheel but also dirt on the side surface of the wheel can be removed at the same time, and further, the liquid used for cleaning is scattered to the vehicle body. Is required to be small.

As a conventional wheel washer, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-313945, each wheel is rotationally driven while the lower part of the wheel is sandwiched, and the wheel is slidably brought into contact with the wheel while pumping up the wheel and wetting the wheel with the wheel. A trolley cleaning device including a pair of rotating brushes has been proposed. In the case of this trolley cleaning device, when the lower part of each wheel of the trolley passes through the wheel cleaning passage, each pair of rotating brushes rubs both side surfaces and the ground contact surface of the wheel around their entire circumferences, and It is intended to remove the dirt attached to the entire surface by the cleaning action of the cleaning liquid and the scraping action of the rotating brush.

However, in the case of this trolley cleaning device,
Since the pair of rotating brushes are in sliding contact with the wheel, when the width of the ground contact surface of the wheel is wide, it is difficult to scrape the entire ground contact surface of the wheel with the pair of rotating brushes. There is a problem that the grounding surface of the wheel may not be cleaned sufficiently, and the liquid used for cleaning is scattered to the vehicle body side due to the rotational movement of the rotating brush, and the vehicle body side may be soiled, There has been a problem that the electric equipment arranged in the above is likely to cause a failure.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. The object of the present invention is not only the dirt adhering to the ground contact surface of the wheel but also the adhering to the side surface of the wheel. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel washer capable of reliably removing dirt as well as preventing the liquid used for washing from splashing toward the vehicle body.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheel washer capable of mounting a vehicle wheel on an upper surface thereof, which is rotatable, and is mounted on the endless belt. A wheel that can enclose the lower part of the wheel, is equipped with a brush and a cleaning unit having an outlet for the cleaning medium, and has the lower part surrounded by the cleaning unit with the vehicle supported on an endless belt. Is a wheel washing machine for rotating both side surfaces of a wheel and a grounding surface at the same time by rotating a wheel on an endless belt, wherein a cleaning unit comprises a side surface first brush slidingly contacting one side surface of the wheel and another side surface of the wheel. A side surface second brush that slidably contacts the side surface; a ground surface brush that slidably contacts the wheel ground surface; and a scattering prevention cover that is above these brushes and that prevents the cleaning medium from scattering upward. Wheel washer characterized by A.

The vehicle referred to here is a dolly, a wheelchair,
It also includes a wheelbarrow.

The wheel washing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention is the wheel washing machine according to the first aspect, wherein the washing unit also includes an intake port for intake.

The wheel washing machine of the invention according to claim 3 is the wheel washing machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the washing unit also has an air outlet.

In the wheel cleaning machine of the invention according to claim 4, the cleaning medium ejected from the cleaning medium ejection port of the cleaning unit is steam. It is the described wheel washer.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the wheel washing machine, the wheel washing machine is provided with a wheel position detecting sensor, and the washing unit moves from the standby position to the wheel position based on the detection signal relating to the wheel position by the wheel position detecting sensor. The wheel washer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wheel washer is moved to a position surrounding the lower part of the wheel.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheel washer according to the sixth aspect, wherein when the wheel is rotated on the endless belt, the vehicle drive device rotates the wheel on the endless belt. The wheel washer according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheel washer according to the seventh aspect, wherein the vehicle has a storage space for foodstuffs to be delivered and the drive wheels are driven by a motor to drive the vehicle. The wheel washer according to claim 6.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a wheel washer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a main part showing a state in which a lower portion of a wheel 3 is surrounded by a washing unit 2 provided in the wheel washer 1. A schematic perspective view and FIG. 3 show a wheel washing machine 1.
2A is a schematic perspective view showing one member, FIG. 6B is a schematic sectional view, and FIG. 3C is a schematic perspective view showing the ground surface brush 10 included in the cleaning unit 2. Is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel washing machine 1 is
A slope 4 which serves as a passage for introducing a vehicle, and a washing table 5 on which the vehicle introduced from the slope 4 is set
And stoppers 6, 6 for fixing the vehicle body of the vehicle set on the cleaning table 5. Further, movable caterpillars that are rotatable endless belts 7 are arranged in parallel on the left and right and in the center of the washing table 5, and the wheels 3 (not shown in FIG. 1) of the vehicle introduced to the washing table 5 are installed. The endless belt 7 is supported. The endless belt 7 can be rotated by a driving device (not shown), can be in a free state, and can be locked by a lock mechanism (not shown). I am able to do it. The endless belt 7 (movable caterpillar) is also arranged at the center position of the cleaning table 5 in the case of a vehicle having wheels at the center position, such as a five-wheel type vehicle. This is for supporting the wheel at the position.

The wheel washing machine 1 is provided with a washing unit 2 which can surround the lower portion of each wheel supported on the endless belt 7. When the vehicle is introduced into the wheel washer 1, the cleaning unit 2 of this embodiment is
It is divided into two parts, a first member 2A and a second member 2B, which are opposed to each other and stand by at a standby position sandwiching a wheel passage. Further, the washing units 2 are provided at five places so as to fit a five-wheel type vehicle. Then, after introducing the vehicle into the wheel washer 1, the respective cleaning units 2 are moved to the positions of the wheels on the endless belt 7, and the first member 2A and the second member 2B are brought close to each other so that the endless belt 7 The lower part of the wheel 3 is sandwiched (see FIG. 2). A wheel position detection sensor including, for example, a photoelectric sensor is provided in the wheel washer 1, and the wheel position after the vehicle is introduced into the wheel washer 1 is detected by the detection sensor. It is also possible to move the cleaning unit 2 from the standby position to the position surrounding the lower part of the wheel based on the detection signal, in which case there is an advantage that the cleaning work time can be shortened.

Then, the first member 2A of the cleaning unit 2
Is the wheel 3 as shown in FIGS. 3 (a), (b), and (c).
The second brush 2A of the cleaning unit 2 is provided with the first brush 9A for the side surface which is in sliding contact with one side surface, the brush 10 for the ground surface which is in sliding contact with the ground surface of the wheel 3, and the jet port 8 of the cleaning medium.
Is the second side surface brush 9 that is in sliding contact with the other side surface of the wheel 3.
B and the ground surface brush 10 which is in sliding contact with the ground surface of the wheel 3
And a cleaning medium ejection port 8. The cleaning medium ejection port 8 communicates with the supply source of the cleaning medium so that the cleaning medium (for example, cleaning water, steam, etc.) can be emitted to the wheel 3 to be cleaned. When the cleaning medium is steam, there is an advantage that sterilization can be achieved at the same time as cleaning.

On the upper surface of the first member 2A of the cleaning unit 2, the first side surface brush 9A and the ground surface brush 10 are provided.
The cleaning unit 2 is provided with a scattering prevention cover 11A that is above both brushes and that prevents the cleaning medium from scattering upward.
On the upper surface of the second member 2B, there is provided a scattering prevention cover 11B which is above both the second side surface brush 9B and the ground surface brush 10 and which prevents the cleaning medium from scattering upward.

Further, the cleaning unit 2 includes the first member 2A.
And / or the second member 2B, the intake port 1 for intake
2 or the air outlet 13 is preferably provided. This is because the intake from the intake inlet 12 is effective in preventing the cleaning medium from scattering upward, and blowing dry air from the air outlet 13 shortens the drying time after cleaning. This is because it is effective. And
In this embodiment, both the first member 2A and the second member 2B are provided with the suction inlet 12 and the air outlet 13, respectively. The suction inlet 12 communicates with a vacuum device (not shown) so that the suction device 12 can inhale air by operating the vacuum device. Further, the air outlet 13 communicates with the source of compressed air so that the dry air can be emitted to the wheels 3.

Further, in the present invention, the cleaning unit 2
As shown in FIG. 4, the first member 2A and the second member 2B may be L-shaped in plan view. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning unit 2 may be integrally formed so as to surround either one of the front and rear lower parts of the wheel 3 on one side. In the cleaning unit 2 shown in FIG. 5, the brushes (9A, 9B, 10) are arranged below the scattering prevention cover 11.

The reference numeral 20 in FIG. 1 indicates an operation panel for operating the endless belt 7 and the stoppers 6, 6.

Next, using the wheel washer 1 shown in FIG.
A method of cleaning each wheel of the serving vehicle 14 shown in FIG. 6, which has two drive wheels 3A driven by a motor and two free wheels 3B and has a storage container 15 for foodstuffs to be served, will be described. . It should be noted that the operation of the operating handle 16 causes the motor of the serving vehicle 14 to rotate and stop, but the forward running and the backward running of the serving vehicle 14 are selected by switching the switch provided on the operation panel 17.

(1) A person uses the steering wheel 1 to operate the steering wheel 1
6 is operated to pull it (travel forward), introduce it from the slope 4 into the wheel washing machine 1, and set it on the washing table 5. At that time, the wheels (3A, 3B) of the catering car 14 introduced to the cleaning table 5 are all supported on the endless belt 7 (movable caterpillar).

(2) The vehicle body 18 of the catering car 14 is fixed by the stoppers 6, 6. The stoppers 6, 6 function to operate the operation handle 16 to rotate the motor of the vehicle 14 so as to prevent the vehicle 14 that is about to travel forward from moving. It can be moved to the abutting position and is locked in a state of abutting on the vehicle body 18. Back running (running in the direction opposite to the operation handle 16 side)
When it is desired to rotate the motor of the catering car 14 in reverse to wash the wheels so as to be in the state, the stoppers 6 and 6 are also installed on the slope 4 side of FIG. 1 to fix the vehicle body 18. You can do this.

(3) The cleaning unit 2 is moved to each wheel position, the first member 2A and the second member 2B are brought close to each other, and the lower portion of the wheel 3 on the endless belt 7 is sandwiched. In addition, since this delivery car 14 is a four-wheel type, the endless belt 7 at the central position is used.
The wheels are not supported by, and the cleaning unit 2 surrounds the lower portions of the four wheels on the left and right endless belts 7 in total. Also, the first member 2A and the second member 2B should be of appropriate dimensions according to the shape of the wheel to be cleaned.

(4) The movable caterpillar, which is the endless belt 7, is set in a free state in which the movable caterpillar is moved by an external force when the external force is applied, and the operation handle 1 of the catering car 14 is set.
6, the handle operating arm 19 installed in the wheel washer 1 is set, and the motor of the vehicle 14 is driven to rotate the drive wheels 3A. Along with this, the movable caterpillar, which is the endless belt 7, rotates, and the free wheel 3B also starts to rotate.

(5) Cleaning while spraying steam (pressurized steam) as a cleaning medium from the cleaning medium jet ports 8 installed in the first member 2A and the second member 2B of the cleaning unit 2, respectively. The side surface first brush 9A installed in the unit 2 (composed of the first member 2A and the second member 2B), the side surface second brush 9B, and the ground surface brush 10 which is in sliding contact with the wheel ground surface The wheels are cleaned by rubbing both side surfaces with the ground contact surface. During the cleaning, the filled steam is discharged from the suction inlet 12 to prevent the steam from spouting upward. In addition, the spray preventing covers 12A and 12B provided on the first member 2A and the second member 2B of the cleaning unit 2 prevent the spray of steam from above the cleaning unit 2.

(6) The jetting of the washing medium (steam) from the jetting outlet 8 of the washing medium is stopped, and the air outlets 13 installed in the first member 2A and the second member 2B of the washing unit 2 respectively. Blow dry air out of it to dry.

(7) The blowout of the dry air from the air outlet 13 is stopped, the handle operating arm 19 is removed from the operating handle 16, the motor of the vehicle 14 is stopped, and the rotation of the drive wheel 3A is stopped.

(8) The first member 2A and the second member 2B of the cleaning unit 2 are separated and returned to the standby position. Next, the movable caterpillar, which is the endless belt 7, is brought into a locked state in which it is not moved by an external force.

(9) The stopper 6 is returned to the release position to release the fixation of the vehicle body 18 of the serving vehicle 14, and the switch in the operation panel 17 of the serving vehicle 14 and the operating handle 16 are operated to move the serving vehicle 14 Take the vehicle back through the slope 4 and out of the wheel washer 1.

By the above operation, the wheel washer 1 can be used to wash each wheel 3A, 3B of the catering vehicle 14 having the drive wheel 3A driven by the motor and the free wheel 3B. In that case, the wheel 3A Not only the dirt adhering to the ground surface of 3B but also the dirt adhering to both side surfaces of the wheels 3A and 3B can be surely removed at the same time, and further, the body of the cleaning medium such as steam used for cleaning is on the body 18 side. Is also prevented from scattering. In particular, in the case of the catering vehicle 14 having the drive wheels 3A driven by the motor, since the electric device is arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body 18, if the cleaning medium is prevented from scattering toward the vehicle body, There is a remarkable effect that the failure of the electric device due to the scattering of the cleaning medium (particularly containing water) can be reduced.

Further, the wheel washer of the above embodiment is
When the wheels are rotated on the endless belt 7, the wheels are rotated on the endless belt 7 to be washed by the vehicle drive device, so that the wheels are driven by a motor. There is also an advantage that the wheels of a heavy vehicle can be easily washed.

In the case of a wheelbarrow having no drive wheels, a wheelchair, etc., the wheels are rotated by forcibly rotating the movable caterpillar, which is the endless belt 7, by a drive device (not shown). Can be washed. In that case, the stopper 6 that can securely fix the vehicle body
To prepare.

[0035]

In the wheel washing machine according to the first and seventh aspects of the present invention, the washing unit includes the first side brush that slidably contacts one side surface of the wheel and the side brush that slidably contacts the other side surface of the wheel. Since the second brush, the grounding surface brush that is in sliding contact with the grounding surface of the wheel, and the scattering prevention cover that is above these brushes and that prevents the cleaning medium from scattering upward, this wheel cleaning According to the machine, not only the dirt adhering to the ground surface of the wheel but also the dirt adhering to the side surface of the wheel can be reliably removed at the same time, and the cleaning medium used for cleaning is prevented from scattering to the vehicle body side. Has the effect of being performed.

In the wheel washing machine according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the washing unit also includes the intake port for intake air, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the present invention, scattering of the washing medium to the vehicle body side can be prevented. This has the effect of being more reliably prevented.

In the wheel washing machine of the invention according to claim 3, since the washing unit also has an air outlet,
In addition to the effect of the invention according to the above, there is an effect that the time of the cleaning work can be shortened.

In the wheel cleaning machine of the invention according to claim 4, since the cleaning medium ejected from the cleaning medium ejection port of the cleaning unit is steam, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, At the same time, it is possible to achieve sterilization.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wheel washer including a wheel position detecting sensor, and the washing unit surrounds the lower portion of the wheel from the standby position based on a detection signal relating to the wheel position by the wheel position detecting sensor. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, there is an effect that the time of the cleaning work can be shortened.

In the wheel washing machine of the invention according to claim 6, when the wheel is rotated on the endless belt, the wheel is rotated on the endless belt by the drive device of the vehicle. In addition to the effects of the invention according to (1), it is possible to easily wash the wheels of a vehicle having a heavy weight such as a distribution car having drive wheels driven by a motor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cleaning unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B show a cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view showing one member of the cleaning unit, FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a usage state of the cleaning unit, and FIG. ) Is a brush 1 for the ground surface provided in the cleaning unit
It is a schematic perspective view which shows 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another form of the cleaning unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing still another form of the cleaning unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a delivery car provided with wheels to be washed, which is used when explaining a method of using the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 wheel washer 2 cleaning unit 2A First member 2B Second member Three wheels 3A drive wheel 3B free wheel 4 slopes 5 Washing table 6 stopper 7 Endless belt 8 Cleaning medium jet 9A Side first brush 9B Side second brush 10 Installation surface brush 11, 11A, 11B Scatter prevention cover 12 Suction port 13 Air outlet 14 serving car 15 Storage

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A wheel of a vehicle can be placed on the upper surface of the vehicle, and a rotatable endless belt and a lower portion of the wheel placed on the endless belt can be enclosed, a brush, and a cleaning medium. When the vehicle is supported on an endless belt, the wheel whose lower part is surrounded by the washing unit is rotated on the endless belt, and both side surfaces of the wheel and the ground contact surface are provided. In a wheel cleaning machine for simultaneously cleaning a wheel, a cleaning unit includes: a first side surface brush slidingly contacting one side surface of a wheel; a second side surface brush slidingly contacting the other side surface of the wheel; A wheel cleaning machine comprising: a ground surface brush that is in sliding contact with a brush; and a scattering prevention cover that is above these brushes and that prevents the cleaning medium from scattering upward. 2. The wheel cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit also includes an intake port for intake. 3. The wheel cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit also includes an air outlet. 4. The wheel cleaning machine according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning medium ejected from the cleaning medium ejection port of the cleaning unit is steam. 5. The wheel washer is provided with a wheel position detection sensor, and the cleaning unit is moved from a standby position to a position surrounding a lower part of the wheel based on a detection signal relating to the wheel position by the wheel position detection sensor. The wheel washer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that 6. When rotating a wheel on an endless belt,
6. A vehicle driving device rotates wheels on an endless belt.
The wheel washer according to any one of 1. 7. The vehicle has a storage for foods to be served,
The wheel washer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is a catering vehicle which is driven by driving a driving wheel with a motor.