JPH0132607Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention provides a vehicle drying device, in particular, a top nozzle for drying the top surface of a vehicle that can be raised and lowered on the top of a gate-shaped frame that can run along the front and rear directions of the vehicle that straddles the vehicle to be dried. The present invention relates to a vehicle drying device, in which a pair of side nozzles for drying both side surfaces of the vehicle are respectively attached to both sides of the frame.

Conventionally, in such vehicle drying devices, it is advantageous to place the spout nozzle close to the car body surface because the water droplets adhering to the car body surface can be blown off and dried with airflow, but the spout nozzle of the top nozzle is In order to avoid collision with the rearview mirror, even its lowest position is set higher than the rearview mirror. Therefore, especially in the hood and trunk of a passenger car, the distance between the spout of the top nozzle and the top surface of the vehicle is large.
In addition, even if the vehicle is placed to the left or right from the center of the gate-shaped frame, the side nozzle nozzle can
It is set so that it does not come into contact with either side of the vehicle.
For this reason, the distance between the jet ports of both side nozzles is set to be considerably larger than the width of the vehicle, and the distance between the jet ports of both side nozzles and both sides of the vehicle is large. As a result, when the airflow ejected from the top nozzle and both side nozzles reaches the top and side surfaces of the vehicle, it becomes turbulent and the flow velocity decreases, resulting in poor drying efficiency.

The present invention was made to solve such conventional technical problems, and the air jetted from each nozzle is guided to the car body surface in a nearly rectified state, and the airflow is blown onto the car body surface at high speed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vehicle drying device that enables drying and improves drying efficiency.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. First, in FIGS. 1 and 2, a gate-shaped frame 1 that straddles a vehicle to be washed and dried.
are mounted via running wheels 3a, 3b on guide rails 2a, 2b laid on the ground along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and are reciprocated on the rails 2a, 2b by a prime mover (not shown).

A pair of side nozzles 4a, 4b for drying both sides of the vehicle are arranged facing each other on both left and right sides of the gate-shaped frame 1.
4b is connected to blowers 5a, 5b provided on both sides of the upper part of the portal frame 1 via ducts 6a, 6b. In addition, drying air outlets 7a and 7b directed inward of the gate-shaped frame 1 are formed at the inner ends of both side nozzles 4a and 4b.

At the center of the upper part of the gate-shaped frame 1, there is a lifting mechanism 10.
A top nozzle 11 for drying the upper surface of the vehicle is supported through the flexible conduit 12a, 12b and a substantially L-shaped duct 13.
It is connected to the blowers 5a and 5b via a and 13b.

The elevating mechanism 10 includes a pair of parallel links 14a and 14b whose one end is rotatably supported at the center of the upper part of the gate-shaped frame 1 and extends downward;
A pair of arms 1 having one end connected to the other ends of 4a and 14b and the other end fixed to the top nozzle 11.
5a, 15b, one end is pivoted to the upper center of the portal frame 1, and the other end is both arms 15a, 15b.
A single guide rod 16 connected to one end, and the upper center and both parallel links 14 of the portal frame 1
A pair of springs 1 interposed between the other ends of a and 14b
7a, 17b, a hydraulic cylinder 18 supported by the portal frame 1, a chain 21 connected to the piston rod 19 of the hydraulic cylinder 18, extending downward via a sprocket 20, and connected to one parallel link 14a. Consists of.

In such a lifting mechanism 10, when hydraulic pressure is supplied to the hydraulic cylinder 18 and the piston rod 19 is driven to retract, the chain 21 rises and the parallel link 1
4a, 14b are pulled up, thereby causing the top nozzle 11 to rise. Also, the hydraulic cylinder 18
When the supply of hydraulic pressure to the top nozzle 11 is stopped and the hydraulic pressure is released, the top nozzle 11 descends due to its own weight. Note that the springs 17a and 17b are connected to the top nozzle 1.
1 exerts a spring force in the direction of contraction and functions to reduce the lifting force of the top nozzle 11, that is, the load on the hydraulic cylinder 18.

In FIG. 3, the top nozzle 11 has a triangular cross section that narrows downward, and a drying air outlet 22 directed toward the inside of the portal frame 1 is provided at the lower end of the top nozzle 11. It is opened.

Referring also to FIG. 4, a support member 24 is provided protruding from the front wall of the top nozzle 11 along the traveling direction 8 of the portal frame 1 during vehicle drying. A horizontal shaft 25 perpendicular to the traveling direction 8 is rotatably supported. axis 2
5, one end of a connecting rod 26 perpendicular thereto is fixed, and a support shaft 27 parallel to the shaft 25 is fixed to the other end of the connecting rod 26. A pair of first guide wheels 28 are loosely fitted onto this support shaft 27 so as to be freely rotatable about its axis.

Furthermore, a cam 31 is fixed to the shaft 25,
A detection rod 34 extending rearward along the traveling direction 8 is integrally fixed to the cam 31. Therefore, the detection rod 34 is integrated with the shaft 25.
A second guide ring 36 having a relatively small diameter is rotatably supported at the free end of the detection rod 34 .

The cam 31 has a small-diameter arc-shaped cam surface 29 formed on its outer periphery over a range of a certain central angle α;
It has a large diameter arcuate cam surface 30 formed over the remaining central angle, and step portions 32 and 33 are provided between both cam surfaces 29 and 30, respectively. Cam surface 2
9 is disposed on the opposite side of the axis 25 to the direction in which the detection rod 34 extends. When the cam 31 is inactive, the cam 31 moves in the direction shown by the arrow 37 (see FIG. 3) due to the weight of the detection rod 34, the first guide wheel 28, etc.
A regulating plate 38 is fixed to the support member 24 in order to prevent the cam 31 from rotating more than necessary in this state. A stepped portion 32 located on the upper side of the cam surface 29 along the rotation direction 37 can come into contact with the regulating plate 38 .

A switching valve 39 included in a hydraulic control circuit (not shown) for switching between supplying and stopping hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 18 is fixedly supported on the upper part of the support member 24, and the switching valve 39 has an upper end. It is actuated by an actuator 40 pivotally supported by a switching valve 39 so as to be swingable around an axis parallel to the shaft 25. A follower 41 that abuts the cam 31 is rotatably supported at the lower end of the actuator 40, and as described above, when the cam 31 is in the inactive state and the stepped portion 32 abuts the regulating plate 38, the follower 41 is rotatably supported. During this period, the follower 41 is in contact with the cam surface 29.

Referring again to FIG. 3, on the front side along the traveling direction 8 of the jet nozzle 22 of the top nozzle 11, there is a
A flexible guide plate 42 made of a flexible material, for example a vinyl sheet, connects the support plate 43 to the top nozzle 11.
By fixing with rivets 44 or the like, it is held and fixed between the support plate 43 and the top nozzle 11, and is suspended from the top nozzle 11. The length of this flexible guide plate 42 in the vertical direction is the same as that of the top nozzle 1.
When the first guide wheel 28 approaches the top surface of the vehicle, that is, when the first guide wheel 28 rolls on the top surface of the vehicle, the distance D between its lower end and the top surface of the vehicle (see FIG. 7 described later) is, for example, 20 to 30 mm. It is set so that Furthermore, a detection rod 3 is provided at the lower center of the flexible guide plate 42.
A notch 45 is formed to allow rotational movement of 4.

Further, on the rear side of the jet nozzle 22 along the traveling direction 8, a flexible guide plate 46 made of a vinyl sheet or the like similar to the flexible guide plate 42 is fixed and suspended by a support plate 47 and a rivet 48. This flexible guide plate 46 is set longer than the flexible guide plate 42. Moreover, this flexible guide plate 46
A vertically extending elongated hole 49 is bored in the center of the detector rod 34 in correspondence with the notch 45 to allow rotation of the detection rod 34 .

In FIG. 5, flexible guide plates 50a, 50b, 51a, 51b made of vinyl sheets or the like are fixed and protruded at the front and back of the jet ports 7a, 7b of both side nozzles 4a, 4b along the traveling direction 8. . That is, each flexible guide plate 50a, 50b,
51a, 51b are sandwiched and fixed between the support plates 52, 53 and the side nozzles 4a, 4b by fixing the support plates 52, 53 to the side nozzles 4a, 4b with rivets 54, 55, respectively,
It projects inward from the side nozzles 4a, 4b. These flexible guide plates 50a, 50b, 5
The amount of protrusion of 1a and 51b is set to such an extent that even if it deviates to the left and right of the vehicle V (up and down in FIG. 5), it will not come into contact with the side surface S thereof.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When washing a vehicle, the gate-shaped frame 1 runs in the opposite direction to the traveling direction 8, and during this time the vehicle is washed by a brush (not shown). During this time, hydraulic cylinder 1
8 is driven to retract, so that the top nozzle 11 is pulled up so as not to hit the top surface of the vehicle.

In Figure 6, in the drying process after vehicle washing,
The blowers 5a and 5b are driven, and the gate-shaped frame 1 is moved in the traveling direction 8. At this time, the hydraulic pressure is released in the hydraulic cylinder 18, the piston rod 19 is free to move, and the top nozzle 11 is lowered by its own weight.

In this state, move the portal frame 1 in the direction of travel 8.
When you drive towards the left and right side nozzles 4
a and 4b face both side surfaces S of the vehicle V, and the top nozzle 11 faces the trunk lid surface T as shown in FIG.
The trunk lid surface T and both side surfaces along the trunk lid surface T are dried.

At this time, the top nozzle 11 is located above the trunk lid surface T with a certain distance, but the air ejected from the jet nozzle 22 of the top nozzle 11 is guided by the flexible guide plates 42 and 46. The liquid is sprayed onto the trunk lid surface T in a substantially rectified state, so that the trunk lid surface T is efficiently dried.

Further, the side nozzles 4a, 4b are also arranged at a distance from both sides S of the vehicle V, but in this case as well, the ejection ports 7a, 7b of the side nozzles 4a, 4b are
The air blown out from the flexible guide plates 50a, 5
1a, 50b, and 51b and is sprayed onto the side surface S in a substantially rectified state, so that the vehicle V
Both sides S of are efficiently dried.

The drying effect of the side nozzles 4a and 4b on the side surface S of the vehicle V is the same over the entire length of the vehicle V, and the subsequent side nozzles 4
A description of the drying effect of a and 4b will be omitted.

The gate-shaped frame 1 further travels in the traveling direction 8, and the first guide wheel 28 moves toward the rear glass window of the vehicle V.
When in contact with Wr, the first guide ring 28 rotates around the axis of the shaft 25 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. rotate in the opposite direction. As a result, the follower 41, which had hitherto been in contact with the cam surface 29, is now in contact with the stepped portion 3.
3 and comes into contact with the cam surface 30,
The switching valve 39 is activated and hydraulic pressure is supplied to the hydraulic cylinder 18 . As a result, the piston rod 19 is pulled into the hydraulic cylinder 18, and the lifting mechanism 10 moves the top nozzle 11 and the first guide ring 2.
8 etc. are raised. When the first guide wheel 28 rises and separates from the rear glass window Wr, the cam 3
1 rotates in a rotation direction 37 due to the weight of the first guide wheel 28, the detection rod 34, etc., and the follower 41 comes into contact with the cam surface 29. Therefore, the switching valve 39 stops supplying the hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic cylinder 18, and the top nozzle 11 and the first guide wheel 28
is descending. In this way, the top nozzle 11
repeats rising and falling.

When the top nozzle 11 repeatedly ascends and descends until it reaches a position corresponding to the roof surface R of the vehicle V as shown in FIG. However, the position of the follower 41 at this time does not reach the point where it gets over the step 33, and the cam surface 29,
This is the extent that it contacts the stepped portion 33 halfway between the 30° and 30°.
As a result, the first guide wheel 28 rolls on the roof surface R, and the spout 22 of the top nozzle 11 rotates on the roof surface R.
is held at a fixed distance above the
At this time, the front flexible guide plate 42 is held at a position with a small distance D between its lower end and the roof surface R, and the rear flexible guide plate 46 has its lower end connected to the roof surface R. It is in a position where it can come into contact with R. Therefore, the air ejected from the ejection port 22 is guided by both flexible guide plates 42, 46 and blown onto the roof surface R in a substantially rectified state. Therefore, water droplets adhering to the roof surface R are blown off in the direction of travel 8, and the roof surface R is efficiently dried. Moreover, at this time, the flexible guide plate 46 on the rear side is bent upward by the airflow flowing rearward along the roof surface R, so the flexible guide plate 46 comes into contact with the roof surface R. Never.

The portal frame 1 continues to run, and comes into contact with the front glass window Wf of the vehicle V, and the top nozzle 1
1 gradually descends while repeating rising and falling, and the air flow guided by the flexible guide plates 42 and 46 is blown onto the front glass window Wf.

When the portal frame 1 reaches the position of the bonnet surface B of the vehicle V, the top nozzle 11 descends in the same manner as in the case of the trunk lid surface T shown in FIG. 3, and the bonnet surface B is dried. At this time, even if the flexible guide plates 42, 46 come into contact with the back mirror M, the back mirror M will not be damaged because the flexible guide plates 42, 46 can be bent freely.

As another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Sex information board 51a, 5
1b may be longer than the front flexible guide plates 50a, 50b.

As described above, according to the present invention, a pair of flexible guide plates are respectively fixed and suspended at the front and back along the direction of movement of the portal frame during vehicle drying, at the spout of the top nozzle, and the spout of each side nozzle is , a pair of flexible guide plates are fixed inwardly of the gate-shaped frame at the front and back along the traveling direction, so that the airflow ejected from each outlet is directed to the flexible guide plates on both sides. The air is reliably guided by the air guide plate and blown onto the vehicle body surface, so that the airflow is not turbulent and is guided to the vehicle body surface in a substantially rectified state. Therefore, a decrease in air flow velocity is suppressed, and drying efficiency can be improved. In addition, in the past, the drying air flow was turbulent, so water droplets that had been blown away could remain, but with the device of this invention, the air flow is blown in a nearly rectified state, so the water droplets are removed from the nozzle. It can be reliably blown away in the direction of travel, which also improves drying efficiency.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an overall front view showing a simplified portal frame, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line -- in FIG.
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the - line in Figure 1 when the trunk lid surface and bonnet surface are dry;
The figure is a front view seen from the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is an action diagram showing the vehicle drying process, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the process of drying the roof surface. FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 and FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Gate-shaped frame, 4a, 4b... Side nozzle, 7a, 7b, 22... Spout nozzle, 8... Traveling direction, 10... Lifting mechanism, 11... Top nozzle, 42, 46, 50a, 50b, 51a, 51
b...Flexible guide plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A top nozzle for drying the top surface of the vehicle is attached to the top of a gate-shaped frame that can run along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to straddle the vehicle to be dried, and is movable up and down. In a vehicle drying device in which a pair of side nozzles for drying are respectively attached, a pair of flexible guide plates are fixed and suspended from the spout ports of the top nozzles at the front and rear along the direction of movement of the portal frame during vehicle drying. , the spout of the side nozzle has
A vehicle drying device characterized in that a pair of flexible guide plates are respectively fixed inwardly of the gate-shaped frame at the front and rear along the traveling direction.