JP2001294132A - Car washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To heighten the height of a washable vehicle when the height of an external shape of a car washer is the same, in the car washer provided with a pair of left and right elevation rails in a gate type frame, and provided with a top brush rotatably onto a pair of left and right carriages provided elevatably in the rails, so as to wash an upper face of the vehicle by the elvation of the top brush. SOLUTION: A tubular rotary shaft 17 of the top brush B is supported rotatably onto the paired carriages 14L, 14R provided elevatably on the paired elevation rails 7L, 7R respectively, and a motor 25 for rotation-driving the top brush B is provided inside the rotary shaft 17.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a car washer provided with a top brush for cleaning an upper surface of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pair of left and right elevating rails provided on both left and right sides of a gate-shaped frame, and a pair of right and left elevating rails provided on the right and left elevating rails so as to be guided by the pair of left and right elevating rails respectively. An elevating member, an elevating device that drives the pair of left and right elevating members to move up and down in synchronization with each other, and a top brush rotatably supported by the pair of left and right elevating members. It is well known that a car washer that can wash the top brush, and in such a car washer, a motor for rotationally driving the top brush is located above the rotation axis of the top brush.
Generally, the top brush is attached to an elevating member that drives the elevating and lowering of the top brush (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
No. 8065).

[0003]

By the way, in such a conventional car washing machine, the motor for rotating and driving the top brush is:
Above the rotation axis of the top brush, the top brush is attached to an elevating member that drives the elevating brush so that the motor does not interfere with the vehicle to be cleaned.

However, if the motor for rotating the top brush is arranged above the rotation axis of the top brush,
Since a vertical mounting space for mounting the motor is required between the rotating shaft and the motor, there is a problem that the outer height of the car washer is increased by the space.

That is, in order to increase the height of a vehicle capable of performing car washing while keeping the outer height of the car washing machine as it is, it is necessary to reduce the distance between the rotation axis of the top brush and the ceiling of the car washing machine. However, if the motor for rotating the top brush is disposed above the rotation axis of the top brush as in the above-described conventional car washing machine, it is impossible to reduce the interval.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention reduces the outer height of a car washer and, if the outer height of the car washer is the same, increases the height of a vehicle capable of washing the car. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new car wash machine.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of left and right elevating rails provided on both left and right sides of a portal frame, and a pair of left and right elevating rails are provided. So that you can be guided up and down,
A pair of left and right lifting members respectively provided on the lifting rails, a lifting device that drives the pair of left and right lifting members in synchronization with each other, and a top brush rotatably supported by the pair of left and right lifting members. In the car washer, the top brush is lifted up and down so that the upper surface of the vehicle can be washed.In the car washer, a tubular rotating shaft of the top brush is rotatably supported by the pair of left and right lifting members, and inside the tubular rotating shaft. And a motor for rotating and driving the top brush is provided. According to such a feature, if the outer height of the car washer is the same, the height of the vehicle capable of performing the car wash is increased. The top brush can be moved up and down smoothly in a stable posture without interference between the motor that rotates the top brush and the vehicle to be cleaned. Door can be.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a pair of left and right elevating rails provided on both left and right sides of the portal frame and a pair of the left and right elevating rails are respectively guided. In order to be able to move up and down, a pair of right and left elevating members respectively provided on the elevating rails, an elevating device for driving the up and down members in synchronization with the pair of left and right elevating members, and rotatably supported by the pair of left and right elevating members were rotatably supported. A top brush, wherein the top brush is moved up and down so that the upper surface of the vehicle can be washed, wherein the tubular rotary shaft of the top brush is supported by the pair of left and right lifting members, respectively. A motor for rotatably driving the top brush is disposed between the first support shaft and the second support shaft and rotatably supported by the support shaft and the second support shaft. The motor frame of this motor is attached to the first support shaft. According to such a feature, the same effect as that of the invention according to claim 1 is obtained, and the top brush is further provided. Since the first support shaft and the second support shaft that support the first brush do not penetrate the motor that drives and rotates the top brush, the first support shaft and the second support shaft can have a simple structure.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below based on the embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a car washer according to the present invention, and FIG.
1 is a side view of the car washer taken along the line 2 in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a figure showing a car washing process.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a mobile car washer M is:
There is provided a gate-shaped frame 1 through which a vehicle V to be washed can pass through. Drive wheels 2 and 2 and a driven wheel 3 are provided before and after lower portions of left and right side frames 1L and 1R of the gate-shaped frame 1. The drive wheels 2, 2 are connected to traveling motors 5, 5 supported by the left and right side frames 1L, 1R via a speed reduction transmission mechanism. The drive wheels 2 and 2 and the driven wheels 3 and 3 are rotatably mounted on traveling rails 4 and 4 laid on an installation surface. It is possible to forcibly reciprocate by driving in rotation.

The portal frame 1 is provided with a guide frame 6 also formed in a portal shape so as to be swingable in the traveling direction of the portal frame 1 as described later in detail. The guide frame 6 includes a pair of left and right elevating rails 7L and 7R extending vertically along left and right side frames 1L and 1R of the portal frame 1 and a left and right direction along a ceiling frame 1T of the portal frame 1. And a connecting beam 8 extending along the upper end of the pair of right and left lifting rails 7L and 7R. Oscillating arms 9, 9 are fixed to the lower portions of the pair of elevating rails 7L, 7R, and the oscillating arms 9, 9 are gate-shaped by bearings 10, 10 provided below the left and right side frames 1L, 1R. The frame 1 is supported so as to be able to swing up and down in the running direction.

The combined beam 8 is formed of a round pipe, and both ends thereof are fixed to upper ends of the left and right elevating rails 7L and 7R, respectively, and a synchronous shaft 11 is passed through the inside thereof. Both ends of the synchronous shaft 11 are rotatably supported by bearings 12, 12 at the upper ends of a pair of left and right elevating rails 7L, 7R.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of lifting rails 7L and 7R have a U-shaped cross section, and their open sides face each other. Also, a pair of lifting rails 7
Guide plates 13, 13 are fixed to the middle portions of the inner surfaces of L and 7R in substantially parallel with the front and rear side surfaces thereof.

The pair of lifting rails 7L and 7R are provided with a pair of left and right carriages 14L and 14R, respectively, as a pair of left and right lifting members, which are guided by them and travel in the vertical direction. These carts 14L, 14R are provided with two pairs of rollers 15, 15, 16, 16 rotatably, and one of the rollers 15, 15 is guided to the inner wall surfaces 7La, 7Ra of the lifting rails 7L, 7R. The other rollers 16 and 16 are moved up and down rails 7L and 7R.
Opposing inner wall surfaces 7Lb, 7Rb and guide plates 13, 13
To the wall surfaces 13a, 13a.

As shown in FIG. 3, a top brush B is provided between left and right carriages 14L and 14R as left and right elevating members.
Are rotatably supported. This top brush B is
A brush bristle 18 is planted on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion of the tubular rotary shaft 17. One hub 20 is fixed to one open end of the tubular rotary shaft 17, and the other open end is provided. , The other hub 23 is fixed. The tubular rotary shaft 17 includes a first support shaft 19 fixed to the inner surface of one truck 14L in a cantilever manner, and a second support shaft 22 fixed to the inner surface of the other truck 14R in a cantilever manner. And are rotatably supported via bearings 21 and 27 and a double row of bearings 24. The support structure will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. , Second
It is formed longer than the support shaft 22, extends through the bearing 21 provided on the one hub 20, and extends inside the tubular rotary shaft 17 along the axis thereof. Bearing 2 provided on a hub 26 fixed to an intermediate portion inside
7, so that the first support shaft 19
One half (FIG. 1, 3 left half) of the tubular rotary shaft 17 is rotatably supported via bearings 21 and 27 at two locations separated in the axial direction. On the other hand, the second support shaft 22 also extends along the axis of the tubular rotary shaft 17, penetrates the double-row bearings 24 provided on the other hub 23, and
The other half (the right half in FIGS. 1 and 3) is rotatably supported via double-row bearings 24. Therefore, the tubular rotary shaft 17 is rotatably supported by the first support shaft 19 and the second support shaft 22 in a double-supported state.

As shown in FIG. 3, a motor chamber is formed in the tubular rotary shaft 17 between the hubs 26 and 23, and a motor for rotationally driving the top brush B, ie, a deceleration motor, is formed in the motor chamber. A motor 25 is provided. The motor 25 is an electric motor, and an end of a motor frame 25a is attached to and supported by an inner end, that is, a free end of the first support shaft 19, and an output shaft 25b is provided at a center of the hub 23. Fixed. The first and second support shafts 19 and 22 and the axis of the output shaft 25a of the motor 25 are arranged so as to be straight. The first support shaft 19 is a hollow shaft through which a power supply line 28 connected to the motor 25 is passed.

Therefore, by driving the motor 25, the top brush B can be driven to rotate. The hub 26 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the tubular rotary shaft 17, and is supported between the hub 20 and the motor 25 near the motor 25 so that the tubular rotary shaft 17 can rotate on the first support shaft 19. The first and second support shafts 1
The axes of the output shafts 9 and 22 and the output shaft 25a of the motor 25 can be reliably kept in a straight line, and the top brush B can be smoothly rotated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the right elevating rail 7R
A lifting motor 29 is supported at a lower portion of the motor, and a sprocket 30 is fixed to an output shaft of the lifting motor 29. A sprocket 31 is supported on the left elevating rail 7L so as to be rotatable on the same axis as the sprocket 30. Sprockets 32 and 33 are fixed to both ends of the synchronous shaft 11 corresponding to the sprockets 30 and 31, respectively. A chain 34 is wound around the sprocket 30 and the sprocket 32, and one end of the chain 34 Is connected to the upper end of the carriage 14R, and the other end is connected to the lower end of the carriage 14R. In addition, the sprocket 31 and the sprocket 33 include:
The chain 35 is wound around, one end of the chain 35 is connected to the upper end of the left-hand truck 14L, and the other end is connected to the truck 14L.
L is connected to the lower end.

Therefore, the pair of right and left carriages 14L and 14R can be raised and lowered synchronously by the forward and reverse rotation drive of the lifting motor 29.

An upper limit detection switch 36 for detecting that the top brush B has reached the upper limit position is provided above the left lifting rail 7L, and the top brush B is located at the lower limit position below the lifting rail 7L. A lower-limit detection switch 37 for detecting the reaching is provided.

Therefore, when the lift motor 29 is being driven upward so that the top brush B moves upward, the top brush B reaches the upper limit position and the upper limit detection switch 36
Is operated, the ascending drive of the elevating motor 29 is stopped,
The top brush B can be held at the upper limit position. The lifting motor 2 is moved so that the top brush B moves downward.
When the top brush B reaches the lowering position and the lower limit detection switch 37 operates while the lower brush 9 is being driven, the lowering drive of the elevating motor 29 is stopped, and the top brush B can be held at the lower limit position.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of compression springs 3 for holding the guide frame 6 at a substantially vertical position S is provided between the central portion of the combined beam 8 in the left-right direction and the portal frame 1.
8, 38 are provided.

Accordingly, when a force for pushing the guide frame 6 backward (left side in FIG. 2) acts on the top brush B, the guide frame 6 swings backward, and when the force for pushing backward decreases, the guide frame 6 is compressed. The spring 38 returns to the substantially vertical position S by the elastic force of the spring 38. When a force for pushing the guide frame 6 forward (to the right in FIG. 2) acts on the top brush B, the guide frame 6 swings forward, and when the force for pushing forward decreases, the guide frame 6 is compressed by the compression spring 3.
It returns to the substantially vertical position S with the elastic force of 8,38.

Also, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a shake detection switch 39 for detecting that the guide frame 6 has swung a predetermined angle forward or backward from the substantially vertical position S (in this embodiment, the detection switch 39 is such that the guide frame 6 is substantially vertical). It is activated when the user swings forward three or more times from the position S and when the user swings backward three or more times).

As shown in FIG. 2, a control device 40 for controlling the car washer M and a start switch 41 are provided at the front of the portal frame 1. Further, the portal frame 1 is provided with a side brush 42 for cleaning the side surface of the vehicle body.

Although not shown, the portal frame 1 is provided with a drying device for drying the vehicle body, a polishing device for polishing the vehicle body, and the like.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 5, when the portal frame 1 is stopped at the leftmost start position on the traveling rails 4 and 4, and the top brush B is stopped at the upper limit position (a), the car V as a vehicle is washed. Let's start.

When the vehicle V is stopped in front of the car washer M between the running rails 4 and 4 and the start switch 41 is pressed, the motor 25 with the speed reducer is driven and the top brush B rotates. Next, the elevating motor is driven to descend, and the top brush B descends. When the top brush B reaches the lower limit position (b) and the lower limit detection switch 37 operates, the lowering drive of the elevating motor 29 is stopped, and the lowering of the top brush B is stopped. Then, the traveling motor 5 is operated,
The gate-shaped frame 1 starts going forward.

As the portal frame 1 travels forward, the top brush B comes to the position shown in (c), which comes into contact with the front of the vehicle V, and the guide frame 6 swings backward (to the left in FIG. 5). When the detection switch 39 is operated, the elevating motor 29
Is driven to rise, and the top brush B rises. When the guide frame 6 returns to the substantially vertical position S in accordance with the rise of the top brush B, and the rearward swing is less than 3 degrees, the detection switch 39 is deactivated, and the ascending and descending drive of the elevating motor 29 is stopped. Brush B is held at that height position.
Thereafter, the operation of the detection switch 39 causes the top brush B to rise along the front surface of the automobile V, and the front surface thereof is cleaned by the top brush B. Then, the top brush B reaches the ceiling surface of the automobile V, and the ceiling surface is cleaned.

When the car washer M reaches the right end of the traveling rails 4, 4, the rotation of the top brush B is stopped, and the car washer M returns to the start position with the top brush B held at the upper limit position. . At the time of this return traveling, the drying device (not shown) provided on the portal frame 1 is operated to dry the vehicle body surface of the automobile V. When the car washer M reaches the start position, the operation of the drying device is stopped, and the car V is washed.

According to this embodiment, since the motor 25 with a reduction gear for rotating the top brush B is provided in the tubular rotary shaft 17, the top brush B shown by H in FIG.
The distance from the center of rotation of the car to the upper surfaces of the carts 14L and 14R can be shortened, and as a result, the distance between the center of rotation of the top brush B and the ceiling of the car washer M can be narrowed. Can be lowered. That is, when the outer height of the car washer M is constant, the height of the vehicle capable of performing car washing can be further increased.

In particular, the height that can be carried on a truck is
Because of the limitations, there is a limit to the outer height of the car washer in order to reduce the amount of installation work at the place where the car washer is installed. Therefore, in the case of a car washing machine having a limited outer height in order to carry such a truck, the height of an automobile capable of performing the car washing at the outer height of the limit is reduced to the conventional height of the conventional car washing. Machine can be higher.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the present invention is applied to a so-called movable car washer in which a portal frame is moved with respect to a vehicle. However, the frame is fixed to an installation surface, and the vehicle is conveyed. It is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a so-called fixed type car washer which is moved by the above-mentioned moving means. The top brush according to the present invention also includes a top brush in which a cloth such as a woven cloth or a non-woven cloth is attached to the tubular rotary shaft instead of the brush bristles. Also,
In the above embodiment, the pair of left and right elevating rails are integrally connected by a connecting beam, but these elevating rails are left and right independent, and they are respectively fixed to the left and right side frames of the portal frame. Is also good. Further, the top brush according to the present invention also includes a top buff used for polishing a vehicle.

[0036]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the motor for driving the top brush is arranged in the tubular rotary shaft, the outer height of the car washer can be reduced. As a result, if the outer height of the car washer is the same, the height of the vehicle capable of performing the car wash can be further increased, and interference between the motor and the vehicle can be avoided. Further, since the top brush is supported by a pair of left and right elevating members which move up and down synchronously, the top brush can be moved up and down smoothly in parallel in a stable posture, and the body surface can be washed evenly. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first aspect of the present invention are provided, and the first support shaft and the second support shaft for supporting the top brush are formed of a tubular rotary shaft. Since it does not penetrate the motor for rotating the top brush in the shaft, the structure of the motor is simplified and the motor can be provided at a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a car washer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the car washer taken along line 2 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a car washing process.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ······· Portal frame 7L, 7R ··· Lifting rail 14L, 14R ··· Lifting member (cart) 17 ··························· First support shaft 22... Second support shaft 25... Top brush rotary drive motor (motor with reduction gear) 25a... Motor frame 29. ..Elevating device (elevating motor) B ......... Top brush

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pair of left and right elevating rails provided on both left and right sides of a gate frame, and a pair of left and right elevating members respectively provided on the elevating rails so as to be guided and raised by the pair of left and right elevating rails. A lifting device that drives the pair of left and right lifting members in synchronization with each other, and a top brush rotatably supported by the pair of left and right lifting members, and cleans the upper surface of the vehicle by lifting and lowering the top brush. In the car washing machine, the tubular rotating shaft of the top brush is rotatably supported by the pair of left and right elevating members, and a motor that rotationally drives the top brush is disposed in the tubular rotating shaft. A car washer, characterized in that: 2. A pair of left and right elevating rails provided on both left and right sides of a portal frame, and a pair of left and right elevating members respectively provided on the up and down rails so as to be guided by the pair of left and right elevating rails so as to be able to go up and down. A lifting device that drives the pair of left and right lifting members in synchronization with each other, and a top brush rotatably supported by the pair of left and right lifting members, and cleans the upper surface of the vehicle by lifting and lowering the top brush. In the car washing machine, the tubular rotary shaft of the top brush is rotatably supported by a first support shaft and a second support shaft supported by the pair of left and right elevating members, respectively. A motor for rotating the top brush is disposed between the first support shaft and the second support shaft, and a motor frame of the motor is mounted on the first support shaft. And characterized by being Attach, car washes.