JP2809021B2 - Side brush control method for car washer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a side brush in a car washer which is installed in, for example, a gas station and used for car washing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional car washer will be described with reference to the drawings. 3 and 4, 1 straddles the vehicle 2 to be washed,
The gate-type car washer body 1 travels in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 2 on a rail 5 laid on a floor 4 via a plurality of wheels 3. 1 wash water arch 6
A first wax arch 7, a second wash water arch 8,
A second wax arch 9 and a detergent arch 10 are arranged in this order, and a top nozzle 11 for drying, a pair of left and right side nozzles 12 and both nozzles 11 and 12 are simultaneously provided at a location of the first washing water arch 6. A pair of left and right blower devices 13 are provided to communicate and supply the wind, and a top brush 14 that moves freely in the vertical direction and cleans the upper surface of the vehicle 2 and can move freely in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the running direction of the car wash machine body 1. A pair of side brushes 15 for cleaning the front and rear surfaces and both side surfaces of the vehicle 2 are mounted via swingable arms, and a pair of left and right rocker brushes 16 are mounted on lower portions on both sides so as to approach and separate from each other. Also, at the upper front of the car wash machine body 1,
A sonic sensor 17 for detecting the height of the vehicle 2 to be washed is provided, and an operation panel 19 on the front side of the car wash machine body 1 on which operation switches for inputting a start / stop command, a car wash mode, and the like are arranged. Is provided.

The driving system of the side brush 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, air cylinders 22 for driving the arms 21A of the side brushes 15 around the fulcrum X are provided, and weights 23 for pulling the side brushes 15 on the shafts 21B of the side brushes 15 in the fully closing direction are provided.
Is connected, and the air is supplied to the air cylinder 22 to open the side brush 15 fully left and right against the weight 23. When the side brush 15 is fully opened to the position shown by the two-dot chain line, it is switched. When the switch (solenoid switch) 24 is turned on and air is supplied from the compressor 25 to the pair of air cylinders 22 and fully closed, a changeover switch is used.
The air in the pair of air cylinders 22 is exhausted from the exhaust nozzle 27 via the silencer 26 with the 24 turned off. A limit switch 28 for detecting whether the side brush 15 is fully closed or fully opened by contact of the arm 21A of the side brush 15,
29 are provided, and limit switches 30 and 31 for detecting the rearward inclination and the forward inclination of the side brush 15 by contact of the shaft 21B of the side brush 15 are provided.

As shown in the control block diagram of FIG. 6, a control system of the car washer is built in the car washer body 1 and includes a control device 32 comprising a microcomputer having a storage unit, a control unit, and an input / output unit. A sensor system 33 including an operation panel 19, a sonic sensor 17, limit switches 28, 29, 30, 31 and the like,
A traveling drive device 34 having a traveling motor, a motor 35 for rotating the brush of the side brushes 15, and the above-described changeover switch (solenoid)
24, drive system 36 consisting of compressor 25, etc. and power supply 37
It is composed of The control device 32 inputs and stores operation signals such as start and stop from the operation panel 19 and a detection signal from the sensor system 33, and controls the drive system 36 according to the operation signal and the detection signal to control the car washing machine. The operation of the entire main body 1 is controlled.

A conventional side brush by the control device 32
A method of cleaning the vehicle 2 by the use of the side brush 15 will be described with reference to the locus diagram of the side brush 15 in FIG. When the conditions for starting the washing are satisfied, the side brush 15 is rotated by the brush rotating motor 35, and at the same time, the car washer body 1 is advanced by the traveling drive unit 34 (trajectory A). When the limit switch 30 is operated by the side brush 15 contacting the front end of the vehicle 2 and the side brush 15 inclining backward, the car wash machine main body 1
Is stopped, the changeover switch 24 is turned on, the side brush 15 is opened, and the front surface of the vehicle 2 is cleaned (trajectory B). Subsequently, when the side brush 15 is fully opened and the limit switch 29 is operated, the main body 1 of the car washer is advanced again by the traveling drive unit 34, and the switch 24 is turned off. When the changeover switch 24 is turned off, the side brush 15 is pressed against the side surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight of the weight 23, and the side surface is cleaned as the car wash machine main body 1 advances. When the rear end of the vehicle 2 is detected by the sonic sensor 17, a predetermined time (the distance L in the front-rear direction between the sonic sensor 17 and the side brush 15 Then, the forward movement of the car washer body 1 is stopped by counting up (trajectory C). Subsequently, the side brush 15 wraps around the rear surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight of the weight 23, and the rear surface of the vehicle 2 is cleaned (trajectory D). And
When the limit switch 28 is operated by fully closing the side brush 15, the brush rotating motor 35 is stopped and the side brush 15 is stopped.
Stop the rotation of 15 and finish the washing.

As described above, in the conventional car washer, when the vehicle 2 is washed from the side surface to the rear surface, the side brush 15 is rotated and the closing operation is performed by the weight of the weight 23 to perform the washing.

[0007]

However, according to such a conventional method for controlling the side brush 15 of the car washer, when the side brush 15 wraps around from the side of the vehicle 2 to the rear,
There is a problem in that a load is applied to the side brush 15, the brush portion is greatly consumed, and the life is shortened. Especially,
When the brush portion is formed of feathers, there is a problem that the wear is remarkable.

[0008] The present invention is to solve the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a side brush control method in a car washer that reduces the consumption of the brush portion of the side brush.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method for controlling a side brush in a car washer according to the present invention comprises:
Running means for movably driving the car washer body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle to be car-washed inside the gate-shaped car wash machine body; A pair of side brushes for cleaning the surface, and a first side brush for detecting that the side brushes are fully closed in the left-right direction.
A car washer provided with a second detector for detecting that the side brush has tilted forward, and a vehicle detector for detecting the presence or absence of the vehicle at an upper front end of the car wash body. In the above, the car washer body is advanced by the traveling means, and when the rear end of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector when the rear surface is washed from the side surface of the vehicle by the side brush, the side brush is moved to the rear end of the vehicle. , The side brush is fully opened and the side brush is driven to fully open. Further, after traveling for the second predetermined time, the forward movement of the car washer body by the traveling means is stopped, and then the side brush is fully closed. When the first detector confirms that the vehicle is fully closed, the traveling means moves the car washer body backward, and the second detector confirms the inclination of the side brush.
The reverse movement of the car washer body by the traveling means is stopped, and the side brush is fully opened.

[0010]

According to the above-described method, when the side brush reaches the rear end of the vehicle, the side brush is fully opened, and after passing through the vehicle, the forward movement is stopped, the side brush is fully closed, and then the vehicle is moved backward to reach the rear end of the vehicle. After that, the vehicle is fully opened and the rear surface of the vehicle is cleaned. Therefore, the operation of the side brush wrapping around from the side surface of the vehicle to the rear surface is avoided, and the burden on the side brush at the time of wraparound is avoided.

[0011]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a side brush control method in a car washer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The structure of the car washer itself is shown in FIGS.
The configuration is the same as that of FIG. 6, and the description will be given with the same reference numerals. The following control is executed by the control device 32. When it is confirmed that the washing conditions of the car wash machine body 1 are satisfied (step-
1) First, a drive command is output to the brush rotation motor 35,
The side brush 15 is rotated (Step-2), and at the same time, a forward command is output to the traveling drive unit 34 to move the car wash machine body 1 forward (Step-3). Then, when it is confirmed that the side brush 15 comes into contact with the front end of the vehicle 2 and the side brush 15 is tilted backward and the limit switch 30 is operated (step-4), a stop command is output to the traveling drive unit 34. The forward movement of the car washer body 1 is stopped (Step-5), a start command is output to the compressor 25, an ON command is output to the changeover switch (SW) 24, and the side brush 15 is opened.
Is washed (step-6). Subsequently, when the side brush 15 is fully opened and the operation of the limit switch 29 is confirmed (step-7), a forward command is output again to the traveling drive unit 34 to move the car wash machine body 1 forward (step-8).
At the same time, a stop command is output to the compressor 25 and an off command is output to the changeover switch 24 (step-9). When the changeover switch 24 is turned off, the side brush 15 is pressed against the side surface of the vehicle 2 by the weight 23, and the side surface is washed as the car wash machine main body 1 advances.

When the rear end of the vehicle 2 is detected by detecting the vehicle height "0" of the vehicle 2 by the sonic sensor 17 (step-10), the side brush 15 reaches the rear end of the vehicle 2. A first predetermined time (a value obtained by dividing the distance L in the front-rear direction between the sonic sensor 17 and the side brush 15 by the traveling speed of the car wash machine body 1) is set and counting is started. 15 is vehicle 2
(Step 11), the compressor 25
When the side brush 15 is fully opened by outputting an ON command to the changeover switch 24 (step-12) and the side brush 15 is fully opened and the operation of the limit switch 29 is confirmed (step-13), A stop command is output to the compressor 25 (step-14), a second predetermined time is set, counting is started, and when counting up,
That is, when the vehicle has traveled for a predetermined time and the side brush 15 has passed through the vehicle 2 (step-15), a stop command is output to the travel driving device 34 to stop the forward movement of the car wash machine body 1 (step-15).
16). Next, an OFF command is output to the changeover switch 24 to completely close the side brush (step-17). When the operation of the limit switch 28 due to the fully closed side brush 15 is confirmed (step-18), the traveling drive device 34 A reverse command is output to cause the car wash machine body 1 to move backward (step 19). The side brush 15 comes into contact with the rear end of the vehicle 2 due to the backward movement of the car washer body 1, and the side brush 15 is inclined forward to limit switch.
When it is confirmed that the 31 has operated (step-20), a stop command is output to the traveling drive unit 34 to stop the backward movement of the car washer body 1 (step-21), and then a start command is output to the compressor 25. Then, an ON command is output to the changeover switch 24 to fully open the side brush 15 (step-22). By the opening operation of the side brush 15, the rear surface of the vehicle 2 is cleaned.
And limit switch by full opening of side brush 15
After confirming the operation of 29 (Step 23), the compressor
Output a stop command to 25 (Step-24), and drive the drive
34, a forward command is output to advance the car washer body 1 (step-25), a third predetermined time is set, counting is started, and when the count is up, that is, the vehicle travels for a predetermined time, the side brush 15 is driven. Step 2
26), a stop command is output to the traveling drive unit 34 to stop the forward movement of the car washer body 1 (step-27), and an off command is output to the changeover switch 24 to completely close the side brush 15 (step-28). ), Outputs a stop command to the brush rotation motor 35,
The rotation of the side brush 15 is stopped (step-29), and the process ends.

FIG. 2 shows the locus of the side brush 15 by the above control method. As shown in FIG. 2, when cleaning the side surface of the vehicle 2 from the side surface with the side brush 15, once the side brush 15 is fully opened and the vehicle 2 is passed, the forward movement of the car wash machine body 1 is stopped, The brush 15 is fully closed, then moved backward to come into contact with the rear end of the vehicle 2, and fully opened to clean the rear surface. Therefore, the operation of the side brush 15 wrapping around from the side surface of the vehicle 2 to the rear surface can be avoided, and the burden on the side brush 15 at the time of wraparound can be avoided. Therefore, the consumption of the brush portion of the side brush 15 can be reduced, and the life can be reduced. Can be extended. In particular, when the brush portion is formed of feathers, the effect is significant.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the presence or absence of the vehicle 2 (the rear end of the vehicle 2) is detected by the sonic sensor 17, but the presence or absence of the vehicle 2 is detected by other means such as a photoelectric switch. Can also.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation of the side brush wrapping around from the side surface of the vehicle to the rear surface is avoided,
Therefore, it is possible to avoid the burden on the side brush when the wraparound, and to reduce the consumption of the brush portion of the side brush, thereby extending the life. In particular, when the brush portion is formed of feathers, the effect is significant.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart sequentially showing a procedure of a side brush control method in a car washer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a locus of a side brush according to a side brush control method in the car washer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the car washer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the car washer.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration and a drive system of a side brush of the car washer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control system of the car washer.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a locus of a side brush by a conventional car washing machine control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Car Wash Machine Body 2 Vehicle 15 Side Brush 17 Sonic Sensor (Vehicle Detector) 19 Operation Panel 22 Air Cylinder 23 Weight 24 Changeover Switch 25 Compressor 28 Fully Open Limit Switch 29 Fully Closed Limit Switch (First Detector) 30 Backward Tilt Limit Switch 31 Forward tilt limit switch (second detector) 32 Controller 34 Traveling drive (traveling means) 35 Brush rotation motor

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60S 3/00-3/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A driving means for movably driving a main body of a car washing machine in a front-rear direction of a vehicle to be car-washed inside a main body of a gate-type car washing machine; A pair of side brushes for cleaning the front and rear surfaces and both side surfaces, a first detector for detecting that the side brushes are fully closed in the left-right direction, and a second detector for detecting that the side brushes are inclined forward. A car detector provided with a vehicle detector for detecting the presence or absence of the vehicle at the upper end of the front of the car wash machine main body. When the rear end of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle detector when the side brush is washed by the side brush, the first predetermined time during which the side brush reaches the rear end of the vehicle is counted and the side brush is fully opened. Further, after traveling for a second predetermined time, the advancement of the car washer body by the traveling means is stopped, and then the side brush is driven to be fully closed, and the first detector confirms that the vehicle is fully closed, When the carwash machine body is moved backward by the traveling means, and the inclination of the side brush is confirmed by the second detector, the carwash machine body is prevented from moving backward by the traveling means and the side brush is fully opened. Side brush control method for car washer.