JP2655353B2 - Vehicle transport method and apparatus for car washer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a type of car washer in which a vehicle is introduced into a frame formed in a tunnel shape so as to surround the vehicle, and the vehicle is washed while moving the vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to a vehicle transporting method and apparatus for moving a vehicle in synchronization with a car wash operation.

[Prior art and its problems] Conventionally, as a car washing machine, a so-called gate-type car washing machine that reciprocates and straddles a stopped vehicle and a so-called portal type car washing machine, and a vehicle is moved by a transport device to pass through a tunnel-shaped frame. A so-called continuous car washer for washing a car is known. Gate-type car wash machines are already widely used in service stations and the like because they are smaller and require less installation area than continuous car wash machines. However, the gate-type car washer reciprocates once or several times per car wash, requiring a relatively long car wash time, and the next car waits outside the range of the car wash until the previous car wash is completed. This has the disadvantage that the processing capacity is overwhelmingly inferior to that of a continuous car washing machine that can end the car washing in one pass and perform the car washing process continuously.
In addition, due to the recent increase in the need for car washes, a high processing capacity comparable to that of a continuous car washer has been desired. Under such a background, development of a continuous car washer that is smaller and has a smaller installation area than in the past has been expected.

By the way, in order to reduce the size of the continuous car washer, it is necessary not only to shorten the tunnel-shaped frame as much as possible, but also to shorten the transport device of the vehicle. 2. Description of the Related Art As conventional transfer apparatuses, for example, those described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 49-32462 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 49-122667 are known. Such a transport device is equipped with a plurality of transport rollers and pushes only one of the front and rear wheels of the vehicle to move the vehicle.It is necessary to extend the transport distance over a considerable length either before or after the tunnel frame. was there. In other words, when pushing the front wheels, it is necessary to extend the transport distance over the length of the wheel base of the vehicle to the rear of the frame in order to move the vehicle out of the tunnel-shaped frame. In order to be drawn into the frame, it was necessary to extend the transport distance to the front of the frame over the length of the wheel base.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention relates to a car washing machine of a type in which a car is conveyed into a frame formed in a tunnel shape to perform car washing processing.
A plurality of transport rollers spaced apart by a single power transmission means are run, and one of the transport rollers pushes the front wheel of the vehicle to transport the vehicle from the entrance of the frame to a position where the leading end of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame. The vehicle is driven into the frame by pushing the front wheels of the vehicle into the frame by pushing the front rollers of the vehicle between the front wheels and the rear wheels of the vehicle having entered the predetermined position of the frame entrance portion, and pushing the front wheels of the vehicle. When the vehicle reaches the exit, the transport roller pressing the front wheel is stored under the transport path, and the rear wheel of the vehicle is pushed by another subsequent transport roller to move the vehicle out of the frame, whereby the vehicle transport method of the car washer is characterized by the following. The aim is to shorten the transport distance.

Further, in a car washing machine provided with a transport device for transporting a vehicle and a frame formed in a tunnel shape to perform a car wash process on the vehicle transported by the transport device, the transport device includes one power transmission unit. Along with a plurality of transport rollers at regular intervals, one of the transport rollers pushes the front wheel of the vehicle and has a laying length capable of transporting from the entrance of the frame to a position where the tip of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame. A vehicle approach guideway provided at the entrance of the frame to allow the vehicle to enter a predetermined position of the frame entrance, and a front wheel and a rear wheel of a vehicle that has entered the vehicle guideway by driving the power transmission means. The conveying roller protrudes between them, and the conveying roller is housed below at a position where the leading end of the vehicle reaches the frame exit. The vehicle conveying device car wash, characterized in that a the vehicle conveying path is brought into contact with the conveying roller, it is possible to realize the transfer method.

[Operation] As described above, it is necessary to greatly extend the transport path from the entrance and the exit of the frame by pushing the front wheel to introduce the vehicle into the tunnel-shaped frame and pushing the rear wheel to cause the vehicle to exit the frame. As a result, the vehicle can be introduced into and exited from the frame at a transport distance that is not much different from the length of the frame.

Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a car wash apparatus main body, which includes a first wash block 1-a, a second wash block 1-b, a first wash block 1-b, and a second wash block 1-b.
Wax block 1-c, second wax block 1-
d, each block of the drive lock 1-e,
A tunnel type frame 1 is formed as a whole. Less than,
The units constituting each block in order from the first wash block will be described.

In the first wash block and the second wash block, 2 is a high-pressure spray top nozzle, and 3 is a high-pressure spray side nozzle. Water is sprayed from these nozzles at high pressure on the top and side surfaces of the incoming vehicle. Next, 4 is the right rear brush, 5 is the left front brush, 6 is the left rear brush, 7 is the right front brush, 8,9
Is a rocker brush for cleaning the lower side of the vehicle. These brushes are operated in sequence in synchronization with the movement timing of the vehicle, and perform cleaning of the front, side, rear, and lower side surfaces. Reference numeral 14 denotes a cleaning agent jetting side nozzle which sprays a foaming cleaning agent mainly on a side surface of the brush before the brush comes into contact with the vehicle body. Reference numeral 15 denotes a cleaning agent jetting top nozzle for spraying the cleaning agent on the upper surface of the vehicle, and reference numeral 10 denotes a wash top brush for cleaning the upper surface of the vehicle.

Next, the first wax block will be described. Reference numeral 16 denotes a rinse nozzle for spraying water over the entire surface of the vehicle. The spray nozzle is directed slightly toward the second wash block to remove (rinse) the detergent adhering to the cleaned vehicle. The vehicle that has been rinsed, that is, rinsed, receives a spray of liquid wax on the side surface from the side wax nozzle 17. 11 is a left side brush that slides on the left side of the vehicle to apply wax uniformly, 12 is a right side brush that applies wax uniformly to the right side of the vehicle, and 18 is a top wax nozzle that sprays wax on the top of the vehicle. And 13 are top wax brushes for uniformly applying the wax on the upper surface.

Next, the second wax block will be described. 19 is a tire brush that performs cleaning by spraying washing water and rotatingly contacting the tires and wheels. 20 is a lower cleaning unit that is located between the left and right tire brushes and sprays high-pressure cleaning water on the bottom of the vehicle at the same time as cleaning the tires. Reference numeral 21 denotes a water spray nozzle which sprays water at the end of the entire surface of the vehicle after the wax application to achieve a more uniform wax fixation.

Finally, the drive lock will be described. Reference numeral 22 denotes a top blow nozzle for ejecting drying air, which is provided with a vehicle shape detecting means such as a photoelectric sensor, and moves up and down along the top surface shape while keeping an appropriate distance from the vehicle to mainly dry the top surface of the vehicle. Reference numeral 23 denotes a side blow nozzle, which blows drying air from both sides onto a side surface of a conveyed vehicle to dry the side surface of the vehicle.

Next, vehicle transport means for moving the vehicle in synchronization with the progress of the cleaning operation will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle transport means 24 is provided on the vehicle transport road floor of the tunnel type frame 1,
It is laid continuously from the entrance to the exit. 26 is the first sprocket fixed to the floor of the frame entrance,
Reference numeral 27 denotes a second sprocket provided on the floor of the frame outlet at the same height as the first sprocket. Reference numeral 28 denotes a chain as power transmission means, and a vehicle transport roller 29 for transmitting power to the washing vehicle at regular intervals is provided. Reference numeral 30 denotes a motor that is driven by receiving a signal indicating the start of car washing to apply a rotational force to the second sprocket, reference numeral 33 denotes a vehicle transport path, and reference numeral 36 denotes a tire guide for preventing wheel removal. In the first and second sprockets, as shown in FIG. 3, a rotating shaft and a mechanism portion 34 for receiving a rotating force from the motor 30 are arranged at a position lower than the floor, and Only the chain drive part is projected. Accordingly, on the floor surface, a rail 24a having a height corresponding to the thickness of these two sprockets and the width dimension of the chain 28 on the two sprockets is laid one step higher. This rail 24a is located between the left and right wheels of the washing vehicle and is closest to the vehicle bottom surface.Therefore, only the chain drive portion is laid on the floor surface to secure clearance with the vehicle bottom surface, and when laying. It is possible to greatly reduce the portion to be stored under the floor, and the installation work can be facilitated.

On the other hand, the vehicle transport roller attached to the chain projects from the rail 24a side at the center of the vehicle to the wheel side,
It is composed of two cylindrical rollers rotatable with respect to the wheels, a roller fixing bracket for connecting the rollers and the chain, and a mounting arm for the chain.

The detailed configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The roller fixing bracket 29d has a substantially V-shaped side surface, and is a cylindrical roller that directly contacts the wheel of the washing vehicle among the two rollers.
29a has its central axis fixed to the uppermost point of the letter, and the remaining cylindrical roller 29b has its central axis fixed to the rear lower side of the cylindrical roller 29a in the moving direction of the chain. The entire fixed bracket 29d including the two rollers is attached to the chain via the arm 29f. The arm 29f is not fixedly fixed to the chain, and is in a positional relationship parallel to the chain when the roller is on the transport path 33, but as shown by a chain line in FIG. 33
It is supported so as to be rotatable in a range of 90 degrees about the mounting fulcrum 29c when it is separated from the fulcrum 29c.

Next, FIG. 5 shows the mechanical part 34 of the second sprocket. 27a is a rotating shaft connected to the second sprocket 27, 27b is a driving sprocket receiving the rotational driving force of the motor 30 (not shown), and 35 is a driving chain connecting the driving sprocket and the motor. This portion is located below the floor of the second sprocket as described above. This means that at the end of the rail 24a, the frame 1
At the exit. Reference numeral 31 denotes a transport roller storage opening / closing plate provided on the same plane as the transport path 33, and reference numeral 32 denotes an opening auxiliary roller rotatably attached to the open / close end of the transport roller storage opening / closing plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening assist roller 32 includes a roller fixing bracket for the vehicle transport roller 29,
When the vehicle transport roller 29 reaches this position as shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle transport roller 29 rises along the inclined portion 29e of the roller fixing bracket, and the transport roller storage opening / closing plate 31 is reached.
To open. Then, as described with reference to FIG.
f rotates and is accommodated in the space of the mechanism part 34, and the vehicle transport roller 29 is separated from the transport path 33. After that, the vehicle conveying roller reverses the moving direction with the second sprocket 27 and heads toward the first sprocket, that is, the frame 1 entrance side. In addition, the vehicle transport roller whose direction of movement is reversed returns to a state parallel to the chain along the rising slope 36 (see FIG. 2) on the opposite side of the transport roller storage opening / closing plate 31 across the rail 24a.

Next, the operations from the entry of the washing vehicle to the delivery are described in the first,
This will be described with reference to FIG. First, the washing vehicle A enters the vehicle entrance guide path 25, and the front wheel A-1 is placed on the transport path 33. In this case, it is assumed that the front wheels ride inside the frame from the first sprocket 26, and the first sprocket 26 is
And temporarily stop the vehicle so as to be located between the rear wheel A-2. Next, the start switch is operated to drive the vehicle transport means. Then, the chain starts to move, and the nearest vehicle transport roller 29 abuts on the front wheel A-1, and the vehicle A moves forward at a constant speed. When the front end of the vehicle A, which has been conveyed in the frame 1 and has been washed, reaches the outlet of the frame, the conveyance roller storage opening / closing plate 31 is opened, and the vehicle conveyance roller 29 pressing the front wheel A-1 is moved. It is stored in the space of the mechanism part 34. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle having lost the pressing force stops moving forward at the position of the front wheel B, at which point the next vehicle transport roller 29 'located at a distance 1 from the rear wheel A-2 is moved. Stop temporarily until it touches the rear wheel. When the vehicle transport roller 29 'comes into contact with the rear wheel, the vehicle A
Starts to move forward again, and this time it is pressed to the position B with the rear wheel as a reference, and is pushed out of the frame. With such a configuration, it is possible to shorten the laying length of the vehicle transport means by L, and to keep it within the dimensions of the frame 1.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention is configured as described above, and pushes the front wheels to introduce the vehicle into the tunnel-like frame, and pushes the rear wheels to cause the vehicle to exit the frame. There is no need to extend the transport path, and the vehicle can be moved in and out of the frame with a transport distance that is not much different from the length of the frame, making it possible to significantly reduce the transport distance of the vehicle compared to conventional models. The installation area can be reduced accordingly. And since such a configuration can be realized only by sequentially applying the conveying rollers operated by one power transmission means, the installation area can be greatly reduced without adding special additional equipment to the conventional apparatus,
The economic effect is extremely high. In addition, the transport roller protrudes onto the transport path from between the front wheel and the rear wheel of the vehicle, and stores the transport roller pressing the front wheel under the transport path when the leading end of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame. It is located on the transport path only while it is pressed, and is stored below the transport path except for the above. There is no need to climb over the transport rollers when the vehicle enters or exits the car washer, and entry and exit can be performed very easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the vehicle conveying means according to one embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a vehicle conveying means according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a vehicle transport roller. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a mechanism portion of the first sprocket. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation relationship between a vehicle transport roller and a transport roller storage opening / closing plate. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship related to vehicle delivery at a frame exit. 1 is a tunnel type frame, 33 is a transport path, 26 is a first sprocket, 27 is a second sprocket, 30 is a motor, 28 is a chain as a power transmission means, 29 is a vehicle transport roller, and 24 is a vehicle transport means.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yukito Oinata 1825 Amemiya Amemiya, Koshoku-city, Nagano Prefecture Inside (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Omiya 1825 Amemiya Aomiya, Koshoku-shi, Nagano MK Seiko Co., Ltd. Inside the research laboratory (72) Inventor Hiroo Yamaya 1825 Amemiya Amemiya, Koshoku-city, Nagano Pref. Inside the Product Development Laboratory, MK Seiko Co., Ltd. Examiner Yasuaki Yamauchi (56) References JP-A-50-54161 (JP, A) JP-A-49-122667 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A car washing machine of a type in which a vehicle is conveyed into a frame formed in a tunnel shape to perform a car washing process, wherein a plurality of conveying rollers spaced at a constant interval by one power transmission means are run. One of the transport rollers pushes the front wheel of the vehicle so that the vehicle can be transported from the entrance of the frame to a position where the leading end of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame. The front wheel of the vehicle is pushed into the frame by pushing the front wheel of the vehicle into the frame, and when the front end of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame, the transport roller that was pushing the front wheel is stored under the transport path, and A rear roller of the vehicle is pushed by the transfer roller to move the vehicle out of the frame. 2. A car washing machine comprising: a transport device for transporting a vehicle; and a frame formed in a tunnel shape for performing a car washing process on the vehicle transported by the transport device. The transmission means has a plurality of transport rollers at regular intervals, and has a laying length capable of pushing the front wheel of the vehicle with the transport rollers and transporting the vehicle from the entrance of the frame to a position where the leading end of the vehicle reaches the exit of the frame. A vehicle entry guideway provided at the entrance of the frame and allowing the vehicle to enter a predetermined position of the frame entrance, and a front wheel and a rear wheel of a vehicle that has entered the vehicle guideway by driving the power transmission means. With the transport roller protruding in between,
And a vehicle transport path for accommodating the transport roller below at a position where the leading end of the vehicle reaches the frame exit, and allowing another subsequent transport roller to contact the rear wheel of the vehicle reaching the exit position. A vehicle transport device for a car washer characterized by the following.