JP2010047079A - Car washing machine and car washing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a car washing machine and a car washing method, capable of easily preventing the separation and sedimentation of a car washing solution inside a solution tank. <P>SOLUTION: The car washing machine has its portal-shaped body provided with a car washing means, cleans a vehicle to be cleaned using the car washing means while relatively moving the car washing machine body and the vehicle to be cleaned, and dries the vehicle to be cleaned with high-pressure drying wind injected from a top nozzle whose height and/or injection direction is changed according to the shape of the vehicle to be cleaned. In the car washing machine, the car washing means is provided with at least a solution tank storing the car washing solution and an injection nozzle for injecting the car washing solution stored in the solution tank, and the solution tank is disposed on the top nozzle and configured such that the car washing solution stored in the solution tank is stirred when the height position of the top nozzle and/or its injection direction is changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a car wash machine installed at a gas station or a coin car wash yard, and more particularly to prevention of component separation of a car wash liquid.

Conventionally, car wash machines installed in gas stations and coin car wash stations have a relative movement between the gate-shaped car wash machine body and the vehicle to be cleaned, and by injecting water, car wash liquid or air during the movement, The vehicle to be cleaned is being cleaned.
Here, car wash liquids such as shampoos, wax agents, and coating agents used for car washing are installed in a suspended state in the legs of a gate-shaped car wash machine or on a fixed base in the legs. It is stored in the liquid tank. In these car wash solutions, with time, components are separated or precipitated, resulting in performance degradation and piping clogging. In particular, liquid components for car wash, such as wax agents and coating agents, contain compound components and water repellent components, and for liquid agents composed by emulsifying these components, the emulsified state does not improve over time. Since it becomes stable, separation and precipitation of components become remarkable.
Therefore, conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, air for vehicle drying is pumped into the liquid agent tank to generate air bubbles in the liquid agent tank, and the air bubbles in the liquid agent tank are agitated by the air bubbles. Is going.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-183247

  However, these agitation mechanisms require a separate device for pressure feeding to the liquid agent tank. In addition, since the postures of the top nozzle and the side nozzle for drying the vehicle change, it is complicated to install a device for supplying the air for stirring to the liquid agent tank without disturbing the movement of these nozzles. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and provides a car wash and a car wash method capable of easily preventing separation and precipitation of a car wash liquid in a liquid tank. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, a car wash machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a car wash means in a car wash main body formed in a gate shape, and the car wash main body and the vehicle to be cleaned move relative to each other to be cleaned. In a car wash machine in which a vehicle is washed by a car wash means of a car wash machine body and dried with high-pressure dry air injected from a top nozzle whose height and / or injection direction is changed according to the shape of the vehicle to be cleaned The car wash means comprises at least a liquid agent tank storing a car wash liquid agent and an injection nozzle for injecting the car wash liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank, the liquid agent tank is disposed in the top nozzle, and the height position of the top nozzle The car wash liquid stored in the liquid tank is agitated when the change and / or the injection direction is changed.

  Here, the liquid tank for the car wash liquid can be fixed to the top nozzle, and there is no particular limitation on the number of installations and the installation position as long as it does not affect the lifting, swinging and blowing operations of the top nozzle. In consideration of preventing leakage of the car wash liquid from the liquid tank, it is preferable to install the liquid on the top surface of the top nozzle.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the liquid agent tank is changed in height and / or swung with the top nozzle, the car wash machine moves in the liquid agent tank to agitate the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank. It is characterized by having a child.

  Here, the stirrer is a stone-like shape such as a spherical shape or a cylindrical shape, and the turbulent flow is generated in the car wash liquid by moving in the liquid tank, or between the stirrers by the collision of the stirrers. The particles intervening in the pulverizer are pulverized. The stirrer is not particularly limited in shape, size, quantity, etc., as long as the car wash liquid in the liquid tank can be stirred, but the car wash liquid is often an aqueous liquid, so stainless steel, plastic, It is preferable to use a material that does not corrode with water, such as rubber or glass.

  The car wash machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that a stirring plate is provided in the liquid agent tank.

  Here, the stirring plate is not particularly limited to the shape, size, quantity, installation location in the liquid agent tank, and installation means as long as the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank can be stirred. Since it is often a liquid agent, it is preferable to use a material that does not corrode with water, such as stainless steel, plastic, rubber, and glass.

  Moreover, about a stirring plate, in order to generate a more turbulent flow, holes, such as a round hole and a square hole, can be opened, or several stirring plates can be installed alternately.

  In addition, if there is a risk that the compound component of the car wash solution will be deposited on the bottom of the solution tank when the plate is installed on the bottom of the solution tank, install the plate on the side of the solution tank. You can also.

  The car wash machine according to claim 4 of the present invention is configured such that the liquid agent tank is a sealed container, the car wash liquid in the sealed container can be sucked and supplied to the spray nozzle, and the car wash liquid is sucked into the spray nozzle. Utilizing the negative pressure of the liquid tank when supplying it, the outside air is introduced into or near the bottom of the liquid tank, air bubbles are released from the introduction part, and the car wash liquid in the liquid tank is discharged by the rising bubbles. It is characterized by being configured to stir.

  Here, as a method of introducing the outside air to the bottom of the liquid agent tank or the vicinity thereof, there is a method of installing an air supply pipe provided with bubbles for generating bubbles from the ceiling surface of the liquid agent tank to the bottom of the liquid agent tank or the vicinity thereof. It is done. In this case, it is preferable to provide a backflow prevention means in the pipe of the air supply pipe in order to prevent the car wash liquid from flowing out of the liquid tank.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a car wash method for washing a vehicle to be washed using the car wash machine according to any one of the first to fourth aspects while stirring the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank. It is characterized by doing.

  As described above, the car wash machine according to claim 1 of the present invention includes the car wash means in the car wash machine body formed in a gate shape, and the car wash machine body and the vehicle to be washed move relative to each other so that the vehicle to be washed is washed. In a car wash machine that is washed by a car wash means of the machine body and dried by a high-pressure dry air jetted from a top nozzle whose height and / or jet direction is changed in accordance with the shape of the vehicle to be washed, Is provided with at least a liquid agent tank storing a car wash liquid agent, and an injection nozzle for injecting the car wash liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank, the top nozzle is provided with a liquid agent tank, and the height position of the top nozzle is changed. Since the car wash liquid stored in the liquid tank is agitated when the injection direction is changed, an air pipe for stirring the car wash liquid is installed like a conventional liquid tank. Na Lifting of the top nozzle, it is stirred for car washing solutions by the swinging operation, it is possible to prevent easy separation of the wash solutions, the precipitation.

  Further, since the liquid agent tank and the injection nozzle can be installed close to each other, the liquid agent pipe can be shortened, and the clogging section of the car wash liquid agent in the liquid agent pipe can be shortened.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the liquid agent tank is changed in height and / or swung with the top nozzle, the car wash machine moves in the liquid agent tank to agitate the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank. Because the stirrer moves in the liquid agent tank when the top nozzle moves up and down and swings, the turbulent flow can be caused in the liquid agent for car wash in the liquid agent tank. Separation and precipitation of the liquid agent can be prevented, and the stirrers collide with each other via the compound component of the car wash liquid agent, so that aggregation of the compound component of the car wash liquid agent can be prevented.

  Since the car wash machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is configured to provide the stirring plate in the liquid agent tank, when the top nozzle moves up and down and swings, the stirring plate in the liquid agent tank causes the liquid agent tank to enter the liquid agent tank. More turbulence can be generated than when a stirrer is used, and separation and precipitation of the car wash solution can be prevented more effectively.

  The car wash machine according to claim 4 of the present invention is configured such that the liquid agent tank is a sealed container, the car wash liquid in the sealed container can be sucked and supplied to the spray nozzle, and the car wash liquid is sucked into the spray nozzle. Utilizing the negative pressure of the liquid tank when supplying it, the outside air is introduced into or near the bottom of the liquid tank, air bubbles are released from the introduction part, and the car wash liquid in the liquid tank is discharged by the rising bubbles. Since it is configured to agitate, it is possible to adopt an air agitation method for agitating the carwash liquid without installing an air pipe for agitating the carwash liquid as in the prior art. Further, since the stirring by the swinging operation can be performed, the separation and precipitation of the car wash solution can be more effectively prevented.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a car wash method for washing a vehicle to be washed using the car wash machine according to any one of the first to fourth aspects while stirring the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank. Therefore, the separation and precipitation of the car wash solution can be prevented more effectively.

  Next, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example embodying the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a car wash machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the car wash machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the car wash machine 1 is installed on a rail 13 laid on the floor surface 12 via wheels 11, and the car wash machine 1 includes a top nozzle blower device 23 and a hose 24. A top nozzle 2 to which air for drying the vehicle is supplied is provided.

A liquid agent tank 3 is installed on the upper surface 2 a of the top nozzle 2. From the liquid agent tank 3, a liquid agent pipe 6 for supplying the car wash solution 4 toward the injection nozzle 5 located behind the top nozzle 2 is provided. Further, an orifice 7 for adjusting the supply amount is provided at the tip of the liquid agent pipe 6 in the liquid agent tank 3.
And between the path | route of the liquid agent piping 6 which connects the said orifice 7 and the injection nozzle 5, the solenoid valve (solenoid valve) 8 and the mixer 9 are attached.
Here, the mixer 9 was supplied through a water pipe 10 by a pump (not shown) from a car wash solution 4 in the liquid tank 3 and a water tank (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the car wash machine 1. By mixing with water, the car wash solution 4 is diluted to a set concentration and supplied to the spray nozzle 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, the liquid agent tank 3 can include a stirrer 25, a stirring plate 26, an air supply pipe 28, and the like. About the form of these liquid agent tanks 3, it can select suitably according to the kind of liquid agent 4 for car wash accommodated in the liquid agent tank 3. FIG.

The operation in the above embodiment will be described below.
In the car washing operation, the top nozzle 2 is moved by a back and forth mechanism and a swinging mechanism (not shown) mounted on the leg portion 1 a of the car wash machine 1 and the back and forth movement of the car wash machine 1 or the car to be cleaned 14. Water droplets remaining on the vehicle shape 14a of the vehicle 14 to be cleaned are blown off in the cleaning process while moving up and down and swinging along the vehicle shape 14a.

In other words, an elevating drive shaft 15 is provided on the upper portion of the car wash machine 1, and one end of the drive shaft 15 is connected to a drive device 17 such as a motor via a winding transmission device 16.
Further, a transmission wheel body 18 such as a sprocket is attached to both ends of the elevating drive shaft 15, and a transmission wheel body 19 is disposed below the leg portion 1 a of the car wash machine 1 so as to face the transmission wheel body 18. A rotating body 20 such as a chain is provided between the transmission wheels 18 and 19. A lifting body 21 is connected to the rotating body 20, a rotating shaft 22 is connected to the lifting body 21, and the top nozzle 2 is pivotally supported by the rotating shaft 22.
Then, the rotational force transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 15 by the drive device 17 is converted into the lifting force by the transmission wheels 18 and 19, and is transmitted to the lifting body 21 through the rotating body 20, thereby moving the lifting body 21. The top nozzle 2 connected to is moved up and down.

Further, the top nozzle 2 is detected by a detecting means (not shown) for detecting the vehicle shape 14a of the vehicle 14 to be cleaned, as shown in FIG. The nozzle 2 swings along the vehicle shape 14a of the vehicle 14 to be cleaned so that the nozzle port 2b of the nozzle 2 is positioned in the vertical direction.
Here, as the swing mechanism, a cylinder device (not shown) connected to the rotary shaft 22 via a lever body (not shown) as described in JP-A-2005-8029 is used as the car wash machine 1. A method of changing the direction (angle) of the top nozzle 2 by contracting with a predetermined stroke under the control of an internal control device (not shown), or a swinging electric motor as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-189087 (Not shown), a transmission wheel body (not shown) such as a sprocket connected to the swinging electric motor and a transmission wheel body (not shown) such as a sprocket connected to the rotary shaft 22 are used as a rotating body such as a chain. (Not shown), and a method of changing the direction (angle) of the top nozzle 2 by rotating the swinging electric motor within a predetermined angle range under the control of the control device is used. .

  Accordingly, since the liquid agent tank 3 is installed on the upper surface 2a of the top nozzle 2, the car wash solution 4 moves in the liquid agent tank 3 when the top nozzle 2 moves up and down along the vehicle shape 14a. Thus, the car wash solution 4 is agitated.

Here, the stirring operation of the car wash liquid 4 using the car wash machine 1 can be performed in advance not only at the time of car wash work but also at the start of the day or at the start of the car wash work.
That is, normally, a control device is provided in the car wash machine 1, and a program for cleaning, surface treatment, and drying of the vehicle 14 to be cleaned is installed in the control device. Therefore, when the program warms up, for example, the cylinder device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-8029 and the swing mechanism of the top nozzle such as the electric motor for swing described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-189087 are operated. Programming the preparatory process, when the power is turned on at the start of the day, when the control device detects that the vehicle to be cleaned has entered the car wash machine, or the start of the cleaning work is input to the control device by the operation panel When it is done, the preparatory process in the program is operated to perform the stirring operation of the car wash solution.

  Moreover, about the said preparatory process, in addition to the raising / lowering of the top nozzle 2 and a rocking | fluctuating operation | movement, by programming to perform the operation | movement which orient | assigns the nozzle port 2b of the top nozzle 2 substantially upwards, Stirring of the car wash solution 4 can be further promoted.

  Furthermore, the raising / lowering and swinging movements of the top nozzle 2 are not only moved according to the shape 14a of the vehicle, but also the raising / lowering and swinging periods are increased, or the top nozzle 2 is moved at an irregular rhythm. By programming, stirring of the car wash liquid 4 in the liquid tank 3 can be further promoted.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, by providing stirring means such as a stirring bar 25 and a stirring plate 26 in the liquid agent tank 3, the top nozzle 2 follows the shape 14a of the vehicle. When moving up and down and swinging, a turbulent flow is generated in the car wash liquid 4 in the liquid tank 3, and the car wash liquid 4 is agitated.

  Here, FIG. 3 (b) shows that the stirring plate 26 is installed at the approximate center of the bottom surface of the liquid agent tank 3, and FIG. 3 (c) shows that a plurality of stirring plates 26 are alternately arranged on the bottom surface of the liquid agent tank 3. It was installed in. FIG. 3D shows a state where a stirring plate 26 is installed on the side surface of the liquid agent tank 3. In FIGS. 3B and 3C, holes 27 are formed in the stirring plate 26 in order to generate more turbulent flow.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (e), the liquid agent tank 3 is used as a sealed container, and an air supply pipe 28 having a bubble generating hole 29 is provided so that the car wash liquid 4 is supplied to the injection nozzle 5. In this case, the inside of the liquid agent tank 3 becomes a negative pressure, and bubbles 30 are generated from the bubble generating holes 29 by the outside air sucked into the liquid agent tank 3 from the air supply pipe 28 in order to eliminate the pressure difference. The car wash liquid 4 is agitated by the bubbles 30. In addition, the air supply pipe 28 is provided with a backflow prevention means 31 such as an orifice for preventing the car wash liquid 4 from flowing out, and is installed so as to penetrate the center of the lid 32.

  As described above, with the above configuration, the liquid pipe 6 can be shortened while stirring the car wash liquid 4 in the liquid tank 3 as shown in FIG. Compared to conventional car wash machines, a more compact configuration can be achieved.

  The car wash machine and the car wash method of the present invention can be used for an existing car wash machine installed in a gas station or a coin car wash place.

It is a front view of the car wash machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view of the car wash machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the liquid agent tank in the present invention. It is a side view of the car wash machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the conventional car wash machine. It is explanatory drawing showing the rocking | fluctuation operation | movement of the top nozzle in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car wash machine 1a Car wash machine leg 2 Top nozzle 2a Top nozzle upper surface 3 Liquid agent tank 4 Car wash solution 5 Injection nozzle 6 Liquid agent piping 7 Orifice 8 Solenoid valve
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Mixer 10 Water piping 11 Wheel 12 Floor 13 Rail 14 Washed vehicle 15 Lifting drive shaft 16 Transmission device 17 Drive device 18 Transmission wheel body 19 Transmission wheel body 20 Rotating body 21 Lifting body 22 Rotating shaft 23 Top nozzle blower Device 24 hose

Claims (5)

A car wash machine body formed in a gate shape is provided with a car wash means, the car wash machine body and the vehicle to be washed move relative to each other, and the car to be washed is washed by the car wash means of the car wash machine body. In a car wash machine that is dried with a high-pressure drying air sprayed from a top nozzle whose height and / or spray direction is changed according to the shape, the car wash means stores at least a car wash liquid agent. And an injection nozzle for injecting the car wash liquid agent stored in the liquid agent tank, the liquid agent tank is disposed in the top nozzle, and at the time of changing the height position of the top nozzle and / or changing the injection direction A car wash machine configured to stir the car wash liquid stored in the liquid tank.   A stirrer is provided for moving the liquid agent tank and stirring the car wash liquid in the liquid agent tank when the liquid agent tank is changed in height and / or rocked together with the top nozzle. The car wash machine according to claim 1.   The car wash machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a stirring plate is provided in the liquid agent tank. The liquid agent tank is an airtight container, and the liquid agent for car wash in the airtight container is configured to be sucked and supplied to the spray nozzle, and the liquid agent is sucked and supplied to the spray nozzle Utilizing the negative pressure of the tank, outside air is introduced into the bottom of the liquid agent tank or in the vicinity thereof, bubbles are released from the introduction portion, and the car wash solution in the liquid agent tank is agitated by the rising bubbles. The car wash machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the car wash machine is configured as described above. In the car wash machine which wash | cleans the said to-be-washed vehicle, stirring the said liquid agent for car wash in the said liquid agent tank using the car wash machine in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4. Car wash method.

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