JP2000006774A - Car washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent side brushes from being hooked on a number plate to damage the number plate and the brushes by closing the side brushes toward the center position in the width direction of a car body when brushing the front face of the car body. SOLUTION: A car washer main body 1 is advanced to the automobile side, the front end position of a car body is detected by end face detecting sensors 5, and the side positions of the car body are detected by ultrasonic sensors 6. The center position in the width direction of the car body is detected based on the side positions of the car body, and the right and left side brushes 4 are closed toward the center position. When it is detected that the side brushes 4 reach the positions to be kept in contact with the front end face of the car body as the car washer main body 1 travels, the travel of the main body 1 is stopped. The side brushes 4 are rotated here to start the brushing of the front end face, then the side brushes 4 are moved toward the outside from the inside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called automatic brush for cleaning the side and front and rear surfaces of an automobile body, which is provided with at least a pair of left and right side brushes, and brushes the side brushes while opening and closing along the body shape. It relates to a gate type car washer and a conveyor type car washer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a portal type car washer, for example, a car wash described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1032 is known. The main body of the car washer reciprocates so as to straddle the automobile, and the body of the automobile is brushed and automatically cleaned as the main body of the car washer runs. Here, the car washer body is provided with vehicle shape detecting means for reading the outline of the side surface and the plane of the vehicle body, controls the brush to move along the outline, and detects the presence or absence of a protrusion from the detected outline, The brush is controlled so as not to damage the protrusions and to reduce the contact.

[0003] By the way, even if the car washing machine has the function of reading the contour of the car as described above and can recognize the protrusions on the vehicle body surface, the license plates attached to the front and rear of the car are slightly protruding. Even if it is, it is difficult to detect as a protrusion by being cut off by the bumper of the vehicle body on the detected contour. For this reason, when brushing the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body with the side brush, the bristle material of the brush is caught on a corner of the license plate or the like, causing a problem that the license plate is bent or the brush is damaged. In particular, it suffices if the vehicle is allowed to enter and stop with a uniform space between the left and right of the car wash machine (that is, the center line of the car is aligned with the center line in the width direction of the car wash machine). When the center of the car washer is shifted from the stoppage of the car, there has been a problem that the license plate is easily damaged.

[0004] As a conveyor type car washer, for example, a car washer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-193753 is known. The car is conveyed by a conveyor and passed through a car washer having a configuration in which the car can pass through in a tunnel shape, and during this time, brushes are sequentially applied to perform automatic washing. In the car washer illustrated here, when the position of the license plate of the automobile is shifted to the side, the side brush is operated in an open state to the shifted direction to prevent damage to the license plate.

By the way, in the example of the above-mentioned conveyor type car washer, in order to prevent the number plate from being damaged, the side brush is applied to the vehicle body in an open state, and further brushing is performed from there, so that the center of the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body is However, there is a disadvantage that a large amount of unwashed residue occurs. In addition, the displacement of the license plate must be specified by the user through input, and there is always a risk of forgetting the specification. In addition, there is also described an example in which if the car is judged to be a minicar, the license plate is presumed to have a misalignment and control is performed to open the side brush, but the number position is shifted to the side in the minicar. However, many of the existing minicars have a license plate attached at the center, which has the problem of preventing unnecessary cars from operating and causing washing.

[0006]

Here, a typical example in which a side brush is caught on a license plate in a conventional car washer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows a case where the front surface of the vehicle A is brushed with the left and right side brushes SL and SR. The vehicle A is stopped with a bias toward the right side where the driver's seat is located with respect to the car washer body W. CL1 is the center line of the car, and CL2 is the center line of the car washer. As shown, the side brushes SL and SR are closed at the center of the car washer and come into contact with the vehicle body, and the left side brush SL is turned clockwise so that the bristle material works from the inside to the outside. Is rotating counterclockwise. At this time, if the vehicle is biased to the right side as shown in the figure, the right side brush SR becomes the license plate NP.
Contacting and causing this to occur, the license plate is bent up and the bristle of the brush is torn. Many of these problems are related to the license plate on the front surface of the vehicle body, and the rear surface of the vehicle body is rarely a problem in that the license plate is attached to the vehicle body recess. Therefore, the present invention is mainly directed to the brushing process of the license plate on the front of the vehicle body.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to
Even if the car is stopped with a bias against the car wash machine, is there a car wash machine that will not damage the plate or brush by the side brush getting caught on the license plate?
It is in the point.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is of a type which includes at least a pair of left and right side brushes, and brushes the side brushes while opening and closing along the vehicle body shape to automatically clean the side surfaces and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body. In car washes,
Means for detecting the side position of the vehicle with respect to the car washer body, means for detecting the center position in the width direction of the vehicle based on the side position provided by the detection means, and the detected center position when brushing the front of the vehicle body Means for controlling the side brush to be closed as a target is provided to solve the above problem.

Further, in a type of car washer having at least a pair of left and right side brushes, the side brushes are brushed while being opened and closed along the vehicle body shape to automatically wash the side surfaces and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body. Means for detecting the side position of the vehicle, means for estimating the license plate position at the front end of the vehicle based on the side position provided by the detection means, and preventing damage to the license plate with respect to the license plate position provided by the estimation means Means for controlling to perform soft brushing to solve the above-mentioned problem.

Here, the control means may perform control such that the rotation of the side brush is decelerated at the position of the license plate to perform soft brushing. Further, the control means may perform control such that the distance between the side surface brush and the vehicle body surface at the position of the license plate is made longer than at other parts to perform soft brushing.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, an example will be described in which the invention is applied to a portal type car washer in which a car wash machine body reciprocates across an automobile, and the car body is brushed and automatically washed with the travel of the car wash machine body.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a basic structure of an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. A car washer body 1 reciprocates on a pair of left and right rails 2 and 2 and is stopped between the rails 2 and 2. Moving across a car. 3, 4, and 4 are car wash machine bodies 1
3 is an upper surface brush that is disposed horizontally and moves vertically to clean the upper surface of the vehicle body, and 4 and 4 are opened and closed in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the main body 1 so that the side surfaces of the vehicle body and A pair of left and right side brushes for cleaning the front and rear surfaces.

Reference numeral 5 denotes an end face detection sensor which is provided in front of the brushes 3, 4, and 4 of the car washer body 1 and detects the front end position and the rear end position of the vehicle. Ultrasonic sensors 6 that are located in front of, 4 and detect the distance to the side of the vehicle on each of the left and right sides.
L, 6R. Reference numeral 7 denotes an encoder which outputs a pulse every time the car washer body 1 travels a unit distance. The encoder 7 is attached to motors 8 and 8 for running the car body 1, and is used to detect the traveling distance of the car wash machine body 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration of the side brushes 4, 4 which are suspended from carriers 4C, 4C running along rails 4R which are laid horizontally above the rear side of the main body 1. As shown in FIG. And the motor 4 fixed to the carriers 4C, 4C
It is rotationally driven by M1 and 4M1. Carrier 4C, 4
C is connected to wire loops 4L, 4L stretched in accordance with the movement range of the side brushes 4, 4 on the rails, and motors 4M2, 4 for feeding the loops 4L, 4L.
Opening / closing operation is performed by forward / reverse drive of M2. With such a configuration, the side brushes 4 and 4 separately drive left and right (asymmetric) by individually driving the motors 4M1 and 4M2.
The left and right side brushes can each move about the entire length of the rail from one end of the rail to a position where it abuts the other brush.

Reference numeral 4E denotes an encoder for detecting the open / close position of each of the side brushes 4 and 4;
Each of the carriers 4C, 4C attached to 2, 4M2 outputs a pulse every time the carrier 4C moves on the rail by a unit distance, and counts the pulses to detect the position of the side brush 4, 4. The position of the side brushes 4 and 4 detected in this way is determined by the ultrasonic sensor 6L,
The side brushes 4 and 4 are controlled so as to be within a predetermined range suitable for brushing from the vehicle body surface so as to match a position corresponding to the left and right side surface position of the vehicle body detected by 6R.

FIG. 4 illustrates the end face detecting sensor 5 and the ultrasonic sensor 6. The end face detection sensor 5 includes a light emitting element 5E installed at a height capable of detecting an end of the vehicle (front and rear bumpers) and a light receiving element 5R provided corresponding to the light emitting element 5E. From opposite sides. Each time a pulse is output from the rotary encoder 7 as the car washer body 1 travels, the light emitting element 5
An optical signal is also transmitted and received between E and the light receiving element 5R, and a front end position and a rear end position of the vehicle body are detected based on a position where the light signal is blocked during traveling and a position where the blocked state is released.

The reflection type ultrasonic sensors 6L and 6R are connected to the main body 1
A transmitter is provided at each of the substantially symmetrical positions on both sides and emits ultrasonic waves toward the side of the vehicle body, and a receiver receives a reflected wave of the transmitted signal from the vehicle body.
Each time a pulse is output from the rotary encoder 7 as the main body 1 travels, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from each of the sensors 6L and 6R, and the time from the transmission to the reception of the reflected wave is counted. Measure the distance to the side of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system of the above embodiment. 10 is a control unit including a microcomputer.
Reference numeral denotes a drive unit for driving the brushes 3, 4, and 4 in response to a signal from the control unit 10, and reference numeral 12 denotes an operation panel for inputting a start of car washing and a designation input of a projection to be avoided. The control unit 10 executes the car wash operation via the drive unit 11 when there is a car wash start input on the operation panel 12, and during the car wash, the ultrasonic sensor 6
Side brushes 4, 4 according to the side position given by L, 6R
Is controlled to open and close. The front end face and the rear end face of the vehicle body stop traveling of the car washer body 1 based on the front end position and the rear end position given by the end face detection sensor 5, and open and close the side brushes 4, 4 for brushing.

FIG. 6 shows the side brushes 4 and 4 of the control system.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of FIG. 1
Reference numeral 0a denotes an end face position detection unit. Based on a signal from the end face detection sensor 5, a position at which the car wash machine main body 1 moves forward and the light signal of the sensor 5 is first shielded is set as a front end position, and thereafter, the light is shielded as the car advances. The position where the state is released is defined as the rear end position. 1
Reference numeral 0b denotes a detection unit for detecting the position of the left side surface of the vehicle body.
Starts the detection operation after the light-shielded state, and counts the time from when the left ultrasonic sensor 6L outputs the signal to when the reflected signal is received, and measures the distance from the sensor 6L to the left side of the vehicle body. . Reference numeral 10c denotes a detection unit for detecting the position of the right side surface of the vehicle body, which starts the detection operation after the end surface detection sensor 5 is in the light blocking state, and the time from when the right ultrasonic sensor 6R outputs a signal to when the reflected signal is received. And the distance from the sensor 6R to the right side of the vehicle body is measured.

Reference numeral 10d denotes a detector for detecting the traveling position of the car washer body 1, which counts the pulses output from the encoder 7 as the car body 1 travels, and measures the distance from the traveling start position of the car washer body 1. Reference numeral 10e denotes a detection unit for detecting the open / close position of the left side brush 4, which counts pulses from an encoder 4E attached to the motor 4M2 for moving the left side brush, from the standby position where the brushes 4, 4 are opened. Measure the distance. 10f is a detection unit for detecting the open / close position of the right side brush 4, and a motor 4M for moving the right side brush.
The pulses from the encoder 4E attached to the brush 2 are counted, and the distance from the standby position where the brushes 4 and 4 are opened is measured.

Reference numeral 10g designates a position setting section for setting a control position relating to the license plate of the vehicle based on each side position given by the left side position detection section 10b and the right side position detection section 10c, and detects a center position in the width direction of the vehicle. And a plate position estimating unit 10i for estimating the position of a license plate attached to an automobile. Hereinafter, the function of each unit will be described with reference to FIG.
In the center position detection unit 10h, a distance Lh from the sensor 6L provided by the left side position detection unit 10b to the left side of the vehicle body A,
From the sensor 6R given by the right side position detection unit 10c,
The center position CW in the vehicle width direction is calculated using the distance Lm to the right side surface. That is, the center position CW = (Ls−
Lh−Lm) / 2. However, the value Ls is a numerical value corresponding to the distance between the sensors 6L and 6R given as a predetermined value. Further, the plate position detecting unit 1
In 0i, a position range RP where a license plate is likely to be set is set to the left and right by a predetermined value L1 with the center position given by the center position detection unit as a middle point.

Reference numeral 10j denotes a car wash control unit, which includes the above-described units 10a to 10a.
The left and right side brushes 4 and 4 are individually controlled via the drive unit 11 based on various information given by 10i. Drive unit 1
1 is provided with a left driving unit 11L and a right driving unit 11R for driving the side brushes 4 and 4 respectively. The drive units 11L and 11R individually drive motors 4M1 and 4M2 for operating the side brushes 4 and 4, respectively.
On the output side to 1, inverters 11 a and 11 a are provided, and the rotation speed of the brushes 4 and 4 can be changed. 13 is the cylinder 2 when the embodiment of FIG. 9 is adopted.
0 drive unit.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of the operation when the front end face of the vehicle body is brushed by the side brush in the embodiment. The operation of the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. The car A is parked on the right side where the driver's seat is located with respect to the car washer body 1 with a deviation of a dimension L. CL1 is the center line of the car, and CL2 is the center line of the car washer.

When the car washing is started, the car washing machine body 1 advances to the side of the car A, and before the side brushes 4, 4, the end face detecting sensor 5 detects the front end position of the vehicle body, and the ultrasonic sensor 6
Then, the side position of the vehicle body is detected. The center position CW in the width direction of the vehicle body is detected based on the detected vehicle body side position, and when the center position CW is detected, the left and right side brushes 4 and 4 are operated to close according to the center position as illustrated. When it is detected that the front end surface of the vehicle body has reached the position where the front end faces of the vehicle bodies contact the side brushes 4 and 4 as the main body 1 runs, the main body 1 stops running, and the side brushes 4 and 4 are rotated to move the front end. Start brushing the surface.

The side brushes 4 and 4 are arranged such that the bristle acts from inside to outside, that is, the left side brush rotates clockwise and the right side brush rotates counterclockwise as shown in the figure.
Move to open outward. Here, the side brushes 4, 4
Is in the predetermined range RP set as described above, the left and right side brushes 4 and 4 are also rotated at a low speed.
When it reaches the outside beyond P, brushing is performed by switching the rotation at high speed. Further, when the side brushes 4 and 4 rotate in the closed position, the bristle materials interfere with each other, and the bristle material does not hit the vicinity of the center position CW, often leaving unwashed. Before opening to the left and right, reciprocating operation is performed on each side only for a small section that does not exceed the predetermined range RP, thereby eliminating unwashed portions.

When the side brushes 4 and 4 are opened at the front of the vehicle body and the brushing of the front of the vehicle body is completed after reaching the detected vehicle body side position, the car washer body 1 starts running again and the side brushes 4 and 4 are detected at the detected vehicle body side position. And the brushing of the side of the vehicle body is performed. In this way, the side surface of the vehicle body is brushed while the main body 1 is running, and when reaching the rear end of the vehicle body, the side brushes 4 and 4 are closed to the center position CW to complete a series of brushing. Even at this rear position, the side brushes 4 and 4 may be rotated at a low speed during the predetermined range RP detected in the same manner as described above to protect the rear license plate.

As described above, in this embodiment, the side brushes 4 and 4 are closed not at the center position of the car washer but at the detected center position of the vehicle body, and the front of the vehicle body is brushed from this position. As shown in (1), the brush on the right side does not catch on the left edge of the license plate in the center of the end face, and there is no danger of damaging the license plate or damaging the brush. In addition, the brush can be rotated at a low speed at the central portion of the license plate to reduce the occurrence of the catch, and even if the catch occurs, the damage can be minimized. Also, even if the license plate is mounted off center from the end face, both are located closer to the center than both sides, so the brush is caught by slowing the rotation of the brush near the license plate in the center. Generation can be significantly reduced.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the configuration of a side brush according to another embodiment. The rails 4L of the side brushes 4 and 4 are rotatable about shafts 4LC protruding from both ends thereof. Accordingly, the side brushes 4 and 4 can be tilted back and forth. An arm 21 is fixed to the shaft 4LC in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 4LC, and a cylinder 20 is mounted via the arm 21. Cylinder 20
Is operated by pneumatic or hydraulic and expands and contracts.
4 can be held in either a hanging state or a state of being inclined rearward.

In the embodiment having such a configuration,
When brushing the front end face of the vehicle body, the car wash control unit 10
In j, when the side brushes 4 and 4 are within the set predetermined range RP, the cylinder 20 is operated to tilt backward,
Soft brushing is performed such that only the tips of the brushes 4 and 4 hit the front of the vehicle body. This allows
Only the bristle tips of the side brushes 4 and 4 act on the license plate on the front of the vehicle body, which significantly reduces the possibility of catching and prevents damage to the license plate and the brush.

The present invention, implemented as described above, solves the problem that the side brushes 4 and 4 are caught on the license plate. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a gate-type car washer is shown. However, in a conveyor-type car washer, the traveling control of the car washer body is easily performed by replacing the transport control of the car by the conveyor, thereby facilitating the implementation. It is possible.

[0031]

As described above, the position of the side of the vehicle with respect to the car washer body is detected, the center position in the width direction of the vehicle is determined based on the position of the side surface, and the center of the vehicle is brushed when the front of the vehicle body is brushed. Since the side brush is controlled to be closed with the position as a target, the side brush can always start brushing from the front center position of the vehicle body even when the vehicle is stopped to the left or right with respect to the car washer. The brush as shown in (1) is not caught on the license plate, and the license plate is not bent or the bristle material of the brush is torn. Further, since the brush can be brushed from the center of the front of the vehicle body, no washing is left.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the position of the side of the vehicle with respect to the car washer body is detected, and the position of the license plate at the front end of the vehicle is estimated based on the position of the side. Because soft brushing is performed on it, even if the license plate is attached to the center of the front of the car,
The soft brushing does not damage the license plate in the central predetermined area.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory front view showing the configuration of a car washer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view showing a configuration of the example car washer.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory front view of a main part showing a side brush part of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part showing an example of use of a detecting unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main control system of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing information detected in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a main part showing a side brush part of another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car wash machine main body 4,4 Side brush 5 End face detection sensor as end face detection means 6 Ultrasonic sensor as side face position detection means 7 Encoder as travel position detection means 10 Control part 10g Center position detection means 10i Plate position estimation means 11 Drive part 11a , 11a Inverter as means for varying the rotation speed of the side brush

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A type of car washer having at least a pair of left and right side brushes, wherein the side brushes are brushed while being opened and closed along the vehicle body shape to automatically wash the side surfaces and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body. Means for detecting the side position of the vehicle, means for detecting the center position in the width direction of the vehicle based on the side position given by the detection means, and targeting the detected center position of the vehicle when brushing the front of the vehicle body Means for controlling the side brush to close. 2. A type of car washer having at least a pair of left and right side brushes, wherein the side brushes are brushed while being opened and closed along the shape of the vehicle body to automatically clean the side surfaces and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body. Means for detecting the side position of the vehicle, means for estimating the license plate position at the front end of the vehicle based on the side position provided by the detection means, and preventing damage to the license plate with respect to the license plate position provided by the estimation means Means for controlling to perform soft brushing. 3. The car washer according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the speed of rotation of the side brush at the position of the license plate to perform soft brushing. 4. The car washer according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls the distance between the side brush and the vehicle body surface at the position of the license plate so that the distance between the side brush and the vehicle body is larger than that of other parts, and performs soft brushing. And car wash machine.