JP2011057106A - Car wash method and car wash machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage due to a side brush during car wash, irrespective of the shape of a side-view mirror. <P>SOLUTION: When the side brush 4 reaches the position of the side-view mirror by a relative movement of an automobile and a car wash machine body, the side-view mirror is brush washed by rotating the side brush 4 in the direction in which the side-view mirror DM is folded. When the side brush 4 is inclined back and forth at a predetermined value or more during the wash, a catch against the side-view mirror is detected, and the rotation direction of the brush 4 is reversed to release the catch of the side brush 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a car wash method and a car wash machine for preventing a door mirror from being damaged by a side brush.

  Patent document 1 is proposed as a countermeasure against damage to the door mirror. In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the direction in which the brush contacts the side brush SB from the front side of the vehicle body with respect to the side surface of the vehicle body so that the folded door mirror DM is not raised by the rotation of the side brush SB. That is, the door mirror DM is rotated in the folding direction.

  However, in the case of a large door mirror that protrudes greatly from the vehicle body even in the folded state, when the side brush SB is rotated in the folding direction with respect to the door mirror DM, as shown in FIG. The door mirror DM may be damaged by being caught at the base end.

JP-A-9-58421

  The subject of this invention exists in the point which prevents the damage by a side brush irrespective of the shape of a door mirror.

  In order to solve such a problem, the present invention brushes and cleans the door mirror by rotating the side brush in the direction in which the door mirror is folded when the side brush reaches the door mirror position with the relative movement of the automobile and the car washer. When the side brush is tilted more than a predetermined value in the front-rear direction during this cleaning, the hook on the door mirror is detected and the brush rotating direction is reversed to release the side brush.

  When the door mirror is being cleaned, the hook is detected at a smaller inclination angle than when the vehicle body other than the door mirror is being cleaned, and the side brush detects the door mirror hook and reverses the rotation. Do not clean the door mirror with the side brush in the process.

  In addition, as the car and the car wash machine move relative to each other, the side brush that brushes and cleans the side of the car, the rotational drive means that rotates the side brush forward and backward, and the angle of the side brush that detects the hook on the vehicle body are detected. The hook detection means, the vehicle shape detection means for detecting the shape of the automobile to be cleaned, the door mirror estimation means for estimating the door mirror position from the shape of the automobile detected by the vehicle shape detection means, and the door mirror position set by the door mirror estimation means When the side brush reaches the door mirror position with relative movement, the control means rotates the side brush in the direction in which the door mirror is folded by the rotation driving means. If the door mirror is brushed and cleaned, and the hook of the side brush is detected by the hook detection means during this cleaning, the side brush It was to be rolling reverse the direction.

  The hook detection means detects the hooking on the vehicle body when the side brush is tilted more than a predetermined value in the front-rear direction, and the predetermined value when cleaning the door mirror is greater than the predetermined value when cleaning the vehicle body other than the door mirror. When the control means detects that the side brush is caught on the door mirror, the control means does not perform cleaning at the door mirror position by the side brush in the subsequent steps.

  According to the car wash machine of the present invention, when cleaning the door mirror with the side brush, the side brush is rotated in the direction in which the door mirror is folded, and when the side brush is inclined during the cleaning, it is detected that the side mirror is caught by the door mirror. Since the hook is released by reversing the rotation of the brush, the large door mirror is not damaged.

  In addition, since the criteria for detecting hooks when cleaning the door mirrors are increased, the door mirrors can be caught exactly and dealt with. Further, after detecting the hook on the door mirror and executing the operation of releasing the hook, in consideration of the possibility that the door mirror has been raised, the side mirror is not cleaned thereafter. Even if the door mirror is raised by the cleaning of the outward trip, the door mirror that occurred after the first return will not be damaged.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the car wash machine of this invention. It is a top view of a side brush. It is a front view of a side brush. It is a side view of a side brush. It is a block diagram explaining a control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection method of a door mirror position. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a side brush. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the side brush around a door mirror. It is explanatory drawing which shows the hooked state of a door mirror. It is explanatory drawing which shows the washing | cleaning method of the conventional door mirror periphery.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a car wash machine.
The car wash machine main body 1 travels back and forth on the pair of left and right rails 2 and 2 and moves so as to straddle the automobile stopped between the rails 2 and 2. 3, 4, 4 are rotating brushes as a car wash processing device provided in the car wash machine body 1, 3 is an upper surface brush that moves up and down along the body surface and mainly cleans the upper surface of the body, and 4, 4 is along the body surface A pair of left and right side brushes that open and close and clean the side and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle body. Reference numerals 5, 6, 6 are blower nozzles provided on the car wash machine body 1 as a car wash processing device for drying the car body after washing, 5 is an upper blower nozzle that moves up and down along the car body surface, and 6, 6 is along the car body surface It is a pair of left and right side blower nozzles that move up and down. 8 is a vehicle shape detection device that is provided in front of the brushes 3, 4, and 4 of the car wash machine body 1 and reads the shape of the car 1 as viewed from the side of the car as the body 1 travels. The motor 10 for running is an encoder that is attached to the output shaft of the motor 9 and outputs a pulse each time the car wash machine 1 travels a unit distance.

  The vehicle shape detection device 8 includes a light emitting unit 8A in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in the vertical direction and a light receiving unit 8B in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in the vertical direction so that the automobile is sandwiched in the width direction in front of the car wash body 1. This is to detect the vehicle by detecting that the optical signal transmitted and received between the light emitting and receiving elements is blocked by the body of the automobile A. Each time a pulse is output from the rotary encoder 9 as the main body 1 travels Then, the light emitting elements of the light emitting unit 8A are caused to emit light sequentially from the top, and the light receiving levels at the light receiving elements facing the light emitting elements of the light receiving unit 8B are sequentially acquired in synchronization with this.

  The car to be washed is entered from the front of the car wash machine main body 1 and stopped in front of the car main body 1, and the car wash machine main body is moved back and forth in this state to perform car washing. For example, when washing a car in one reciprocation, the car wash machine main body 1 travels forward first, and the brushes 3, 4, 4 are controlled according to the car body shape read by the car shape detection device 8 to brush the car body surface. Then, the car wash machine is run backward, and air is blown from the blower nozzles 5, 6, 6 to the vehicle body to dry the vehicle body surface. Of course, in addition to this one-way car wash, the car wash machine can be made to perform two-way and three-way car-washing operations according to various needs. In addition, each blower nozzle 5, 6, 6 is disposed behind each brush 3, 4, 4, and a shutter that moves up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body is provided and isolated between the brushes, thereby washing the car in one-way units. Is also possible.

2-4 is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the side brush 4, FIG. 2 is the state seen from the plane, FIG. 4 is the state seen from the front, FIG. 5 has shown the state seen from the side.
The pair of left and right side brushes 4, 4 are respectively a carrier 12 that is sandwiched between guide rails 11 that are horizontally mounted horizontally across the rear upper part in the main body 1, and a rotary shaft 13 that is suspended from the carrier 12. The brush body 14 is made of a cloth or resin that is planted around the rotary shaft 13. The side brushes 4 and 4 run on the guide rail 11 by the opening / closing device 15 and can be opened and closed separately on the left and right sides, and are rotationally driven by the rotation driving device 16 in a forward and reverse direction. Further, it can be swung in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction via the left-right rocking device 17 and the front-rear rocking device 18.

  The opening / closing device 15 opens and closes the side brush 4 separately on the left and right sides, and as shown in FIG. 2, the brush opening / closing motor 15a, one end is connected to the carrier 12, and the other end is opened / closed via a sprocket 15b. The chain 15c is suspended from the drive shaft of the motor 15a, and the brush travel position detection encoder 15d is connected to the tip of the drive shaft of the motor.

  The rotation drive device 16 drives the side brush to rotate, and is attached to the tip of a small pulley / rotary shaft 13 attached to the drive shaft of the motor 16a and a brush rotation motor 16a provided on the carrier 12 that can be moved forward and backward. And a linkage device 16b having a belt connecting the pulleys.

  The left-right swinging device 17 swings the side brush 4 from a vertical posture to a position where the lower end opens outward. As shown in FIG. 3, a support plate that connects and fixes the upper end of the rotating shaft 13 on the upper surface of the carrier 12. 17a, a support shaft 17b that swings and supports the support plate 17a in one direction, a first proximity switch 17c that switches at a position where the support plate 17a is inclined by a predetermined amount θ1, and a support plate 17a that has a predetermined amount θ2 (> θ1). And a second proximity switch 17d that switches at an inclined position.

  The front / rear swing device 18 swings the guide rail 16 in a range from the state in which the side brush 4 is in the vertical posture to the front / rear tilt of the main body 1 by a predetermined amount. As shown in FIG. The first cylinder 18b connected to the arm 18a and extending and contracting in front of the arm, the second cylinder 18c extending and contracting in the rear of the arm, and the rod tip of the first cylinder 18b are supported by sliding. A sliding plate 18d, a fixed shaft 18e that fixes the rod end of the second cylinder 18c to the main body, one end connected to the sliding plate 18d, and the other end penetrating the arm 18a to become a free end 18f, A first spring 18g provided between the slide plate 18d of the wire 18f and the arm 18a, and a second spring 1 provided between the arm 18a and the free end. h, a switch plate 18i connected to the lower part of the tip of the guide rail 11, a first proximity switch 18j that switches at a position where the switch plate 18i tilts by a predetermined amount θ3 as the guide rail 11 swings, and a switch plate 18i has a predetermined amount and a second proximity switch 18k that switches at a position inclined by θ4.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the control system.
A car wash control unit 20 detects various types of vehicle data based on signals obtained from the vehicle shape detection device 8 and the rotary encoder 10, and uses the various types of data to provide a car wash processing device such as a brush and blower nozzle via the car wash drive unit 21. Operate. Reference numeral 22 denotes an operation unit for selecting car wash contents and inputting start of car wash, and outputting guidance and operation procedures and the like by display and voice to the operating person. The operation unit 22 is normally provided on the front surface of the car wash machine main body 1. However, when the driver performs a car wash in a drive-through manner, the operation unit 22 is separated from the main body 1 at the entrance of the car wash area. Will be installed.

The car wash control unit 20 includes a vehicle shape detection unit 23, a reference point detection unit 24, a door mirror position estimation unit 25, a data storage unit 26, a hook detection unit 27, and a control unit 28.
The vehicle shape detection unit 23 is triggered by the travel position of the main body 1 obtained by counting the pulse signals transmitted from the rotary encoder 10 every time the main body 1 travels a unit distance, and the pulse signals transmitted from the rotary encoder 10 as triggers. The vehicle shape data captured by the vehicle shape detection device 8 is tabulated to detect the contour of the vehicle body viewed from the side. The reference point detection unit 24 detects vehicle body feature points (vehicle body front end, boundary between bonnet and windshield, roof front end, roof rear end, vehicle rear end) from the vehicle body contour detected by the vehicle shape detection unit 23. The door mirror position estimation unit 25 estimates the door mirror position from the reference point set by the reference point detection unit 24. The data storage unit 26 stores vehicle shape data detected by the vehicle shape detection unit 23, feature points detected by the reference point detection unit 24, and control points estimated by the door mirror position estimation unit 25. The hook detection unit 27 detects the degree of swing of the front / rear swing device 18 from the switches 18j and 18k, and determines whether to hook on the vehicle body. The control unit 28 controls the car wash processor based on various data stored in the data storage unit 26 and a request from the operation unit 22.

Next, the car wash operation in the embodiment configured as described above will be described.
In the car wash control unit 20, a car shape detecting process for reading the shape of the automobile by the car shape detecting device 8, a brush process for controlling the brushes 3, 4, 4 according to the read car body shape and brushing the car body surface, and a car wash machine The drying process of controlling the blower nozzles 5, 6 and 6 to blow air to the vehicle body in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body is executed in combination according to the car wash contents. The vehicle shape detection process may be performed simultaneously with the brush process during the first travel of the main body 1.

  In the vehicle shape detection process, the vehicle shape detection unit 23 detects the vehicle shape data of the car to be washed, and on the basis of the vehicle shape data, the reference point detection unit 24 detects the feature point of the vehicle body. From the point, the door mirror position estimation unit 25 estimates the door mirror position, and sets control points Ld1 and Ld2 necessary for controlling the side brushes 4 and 4.

  When the car to be washed is a normal car, as shown in FIG. 6A, the reference point detection unit 24 extracts the boundary point bf between the bonnet of the vehicle body and the windshield from the vehicle body data detected by the vehicle shape detection unit 23. Assuming that there is a door mirror in the vicinity of the extracted boundary point bf, the door mirror position estimating unit 25 sets a position a predetermined distance d1 behind the vehicle body from the boundary point bf as the door mirror starting point DM-s, and the door mirror starting point DM A position that is a predetermined distance d2 apart from -s in consideration of the thickness of the door mirror is set as the door mirror end point DM-e. The control points Ld1 and Ld2 are set based on the set door mirror start point DM-s and the door mirror end point DM-e, and the control point Ld1 determines the size of the side brushes 4 and 4 from the door mirror start point DM-s. The control point Ld2 is set at a position away from the door mirror end point DM-e by a predetermined distance d3 in front of the automobile in consideration of the size of the side brushes 4 and 4. Set to

  When the car to be washed is a vehicle in which the boundary point bf cannot be extracted, such as a 1BOX type wagon car, as shown in FIG. 6B, the reference point is detected from the vehicle shape data detected by the vehicle shape detection device 8. The vehicle body front end cs and the roof front end rs are extracted by the unit 24, and it is assumed that there is a door mirror in the vicinity of the midpoint cp. -e, and further control points Ld1 and Ld2 are set.

  Now, in the brush process, the vehicle body contour read in the vehicle shape detection process, the brushes 3, 4 and 4 are controlled in accordance with the reference points, and the vehicle body surface is brushed. Here, this is a characteristic configuration of the present invention. The operation of the side brushes 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  When cleaning is started, the left and right side brushes 4 and 4 are approached with respect to the front surface of the automobile A detected by the vehicle shape detection device 8. The front side of the vehicle body is cleaned by rotating left and right while rotating 4 and 4 in the direction of contacting the vehicle body from the inside to the outside. When a custom mirror or the like is mounted on the front surface of the vehicle body, the vehicle body at the position where the equipment is located with the side brushes 4 and 4 tilted backward by operating the back and forth swing device 18 and avoiding the equipment. Wash the lower side.

  When the side brushes 4 and 4 open to the left and right, the side brushes 4 and 4 are stopped and the running of the main body 1 is resumed. After the main body 1 has traveled a predetermined distance, the side brushes 4 and 4 are rotated in a direction in which they contact the vehicle body from the rear side, and are pressed against the vehicle body side so that the upper side is tilted toward the automobile A side. The main body 1 is caused to travel to clean the side of the vehicle body. As described above, when the inclination changes due to the change in the vehicle body, the brush is brought into contact with and separated from the opening / closing device 15 so that the swing angle θ of the brush is kept in the range of θ1 <θ <θ2.

  When the side brushes 4 and 4 reach the control point Ld1, the side brushes 4 and 4 are switched to rotation in a direction in which the side brushes 4 and 4 are brought into contact with the vehicle body from the front side, thereby cleaning the periphery of the door mirror. Thereby, it is prevented that the side mirrors 4 and 4 act in the direction in which the door mirror is folded to raise the door mirror.

  Here, in the case of a large-sized door mirror that protrudes to the side of the vehicle body in the folded state, as shown in FIG. 8A, the side brushes 4 and 4 are caught on the base end of the door mirror and the door mirror is flipped up. The risk of breakage increases. Therefore, it is detected that the side brushes 4 and 4 are caught on the base end portion, and the side brushes 4 and 4 are switched to rotation in a direction in which the side brushes 4 and 4 are in contact with the vehicle body from the rear side as shown in FIG.

  When the side brushes 4 and 4 are hooked on the door mirror, the side brushes 4 and 4 are in a forward tilted posture as shown in FIG. When this forward tilting posture is detected by the first proximity switch 18j of the front / rear swing device 18, it is detected that the side brushes 4 and 4 are caught on the door mirror, and the rotation of the side brushes is reversed to release the hooks. .

  When the side brushes 4 and 4 reach the control point Ld2, the side brushes 4 and 4 are switched to rotation in a direction in which the side brushes 4 and 4 are in contact with the vehicle body from the rear side so that the upper side is tilted toward the vehicle A side. It is pressed against the side of the vehicle body, and the subsequent cleaning of the side surface of the vehicle body is performed.

  When the side brushes 4 and 4 reach the rear end of the vehicle body, the side brushes 4 and 4 are not pressed against the vehicle body, so the vehicle body rear surface along the corners on the vehicle body rear surface returns from the C-shaped posture to the vertical posture. After that, the side brushes 4 and 4 are closed to the left and right to clean the rear surface of the vehicle body, and the one-way brush process is completed.

  When the second proximity switch 18k of the forward / backward swing device 18 is turned on while cleaning the side of the vehicle body outside the door mirror range (control points Ld1 to Ld2), it is determined that the vehicle is over-contacted and the side brush rotates. The safety function to stop the work. That is, the inclination angle of the side brush is strictly monitored in the door mirror range, and it is monitored loosely in the other range so that cleaning can be performed according to the state of the vehicle body.

  As described above, when cleaning the door mirror range (range from the control point Ld1 to the control point Ld2) on the side of the vehicle body with the side brushes 4 and 4, the side brush is rotated in the folding direction of the door mirror. There is no damage. In addition, while cleaning this area, when the side brushes 4 and 4 are inclined, it is detected that they are caught on the door mirror and reverse the rotation of the side brush to release the hook. Will not be damaged.

  Considering that the door mirror may have occurred if the first proximity switch 18j of the front / rear swing device 18 detects that the door mirror has been caught during cleaning around the door mirror in one way, after one return In this brushing process, the door mirror is not cleaned. That is, the side brushes 4 and 4 are avoided at the retracted position between the control points Ld1 and Ld2.

  Although the present invention is configured as described above, various methods are conceivable as means for detecting the door mirror. For example, as proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-128429, the present applicant adopts a configuration in which the contour of the side surface of an automobile is detected by any means of a reflective photoelectric switch, a CCD camera, or a PSD distance sensor. The door mirror can be detected more reliably. Various methods are also conceivable for swinging the side brushes 4 and 4, and a motor other than the cylinder may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car wash machine main body 4.4 Side brush 8 Car shape detection device 15 Opening and closing device 16 Rotation drive device 17 Left-right swing device 18 Front-back swing device 20 Car wash control part 23 Car shape detection part 24 Reference point detection part 25 Door mirror position estimation part 26 data storage unit 27 hook detection unit 28 control unit

Claims (6)

When the side brush reaches the door mirror position as the car and the car wash machine move relative to each other, the side brush is rotated in the direction in which the door mirror is folded, and the door mirror is brushed and cleaned. A car washing method characterized by detecting hooking on a door mirror and reversing the direction of rotation of the brush to release the hooking of the side brush when tilted more than the value.
2. The car wash method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value when the door mirror is washed is made smaller than that when the vehicle body other than the door mirror is washed.
3. The car wash method according to claim 1, wherein when it is detected that the side brush is caught by the door mirror, the side brush does not perform cleaning at the door mirror position in the subsequent steps.
Along with the relative movement of the car and the car washer, a side brush that brushes and cleans the side of the car, a rotational drive means that forwards and reverses the side brush, and a hook that detects hooking on the vehicle body by the inclination angle of the side brush in the front-rear direction. Detection means, vehicle shape detection means for detecting the shape of the automobile to be cleaned, door mirror estimation means for estimating the door mirror position from the shape of the automobile detected by the vehicle shape detection means, and the door mirror position set by the door mirror estimation means In a car wash machine comprising a control means for controlling the rotational drive means,
When the side brush reaches the door mirror position with relative movement, the control means rotates the side brush in the direction in which the door mirror is folded by the rotation driving means to brush the door mirror, and during the cleaning, the hook detection means A car washer characterized by reversing the direction of rotation of the side brush when a brush hook is detected.
The hook detection means detects the hooking on the vehicle body when the side brush is inclined in the front-rear direction by a predetermined value or more, and the predetermined value when the door mirror is washed is more than the predetermined value when the vehicle body other than the door mirror is washed. The car wash machine according to claim 4, wherein the car wash is set to be low.
6. The car wash machine according to claim 4, wherein when the control means detects that the side brush is caught by the door mirror, the control means does not perform cleaning at the position of the door mirror by the side brush in the subsequent process.

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