JPH0238416B2 - SENSHAKI - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a car wash machine, particularly a frame, and a swinging arm whose intermediate portion is supported by the frame so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis. a top rotating brush that is rotatably supported at one end of the swinging arm and capable of brushing the top surface of the vehicle; a heavy object fixed to the other end of the swinging arm that functions as a balance weight; and the frame and the vehicle. The present invention relates to a car wash machine comprising at least a drive means for causing relative movement in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

(2) Conventional technology Conventionally, in such car wash machines, the difference between the moment of the top rotating brush around the swing axis of the swinging arm and the moment of the heavy object causes the top rotating brush to contact the top surface of the vehicle. I'm trying to get surface pressure.

However, on the top surface of a passenger car, the bonnet surface, ceiling surface, and trunk surface may have different heights, so when brushing low-level surfaces such as the bonnet surface, the tilt angle of the swing arm is relatively small, and the height of the trunk surface is different. When brushing a high-level surface such as a ceiling surface, the angle of inclination of the swinging arm increases. For this reason, if the contact surface pressure of the upper surface rotating brush is set appropriately for the low surface, the contact surface pressure for the high surface will become too large, and conversely, if the contact surface pressure for the high surface is set appropriately,
The contact surface pressure becomes too small on the lower surface. In this way, the contact surface pressure of the upper rotating brush becomes uneven between the lower surface and the higher surface, and if the relative motion speed between the frame and the vehicle is kept constant as in the conventional cleaning process, the lower surface will be affected by the higher surface. This means that the brushing effect will be inferior to that of . In other words, the lower surface is compared to the higher surface,
The cleaning effect was poor when cleaning, the polishing effect was poor when wax was applied, and the scale removal effect was poor when removing limescale, resulting in an uneven finish on the treated surface.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate such conventional drawbacks, and when brushing the lower surfaces of the vehicle, the relative motion speed between the frame and the vehicle is lowered, and when brushing the higher surfaces, the relative motion speed is lowered. It is an object of the present invention to provide a car wash machine that can solve the above-mentioned conventional problems by allowing the movement speed to be switched to a high speed side.

B. Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a frame, and a swinging arm whose intermediate portion is supported by the frame so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis. , a top rotating brush that is rotatably supported on one end of the swinging arm and capable of brushing the top surface of the vehicle; a heavy object fixed to the other end of the swinging arm; A car wash machine comprising at least a drive means for relative movement in the front-back direction, wherein the drive means is configured to be able to switch the speed of relative movement between at least the frame and the vehicle into two high and low stages, and the frame has a , an ultrasonic detection device capable of detecting a boundary between a high-level surface of the vehicle and the window, or a boundary between the low-level surface and the window; and based on a detection signal of the ultrasonic detection device, the upper rotating brush is located at a position corresponding to the high-level surface. The present invention is characterized in that a control device is provided which controls switching of the driving means to a high speed side at times, and to a low speed side when the driving means is at a position corresponding to the lower surface.

(2) Effect When brushing the lower surface of the vehicle, the contact surface pressure of the upper rotating brush is relatively small, but since the relative motion speed between the frame and the vehicle is switched to the low speed side, it takes time to brush the lower surface sufficiently. Can be brushed.

On the other hand, when brushing the high-level surfaces of the vehicle,
Since the contact surface pressure becomes relatively large, by switching the relative motion speed to the high speed side, it becomes possible to quickly and accurately brush the high-level surface of the vehicle without any trouble.

(3) Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 1 showing a first embodiment of the present invention, a car wash machine 1 includes a gate-shaped frame 2 that straddles a vehicle (not shown), This frame 2 can run along traveling rails 3 laid on the sides of the vehicle, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
It is possible to travel in the direction shown.

The frame 2 is equipped with a rotating brush device B, a drying device D, a detergent spraying device C, a wax coating device W, a scale remover spraying device M 1 , and a scale removing device M ₁ for cleaning, wax application, drying, scale removal, etc. M ₂ and rinsing water spray devices R ₁ and R ₂ are provided, respectively.

Frame 2 also includes a pair of left and right driving motors.
RM is installed and their driving engine
The output of the RM is decelerated by a reducer 40, and is further reduced by a sprocket 41 fixed to the output shaft of the reducer 40.
An endless chain 44 is suspended between the frame 2 and a sprocket 43 provided on a drive wheel 42 on the rail 3, and constitutes the drive means 7 of the present invention which causes the frame 2 and the vehicle to move relative to each other. be done. Moreover, the driving prime mover RM is a rotation speed conversion type,
For example, when using a motor with variable pole number and at high speed, 2
It converts to 4 poles at pole and low speeds, and 2 poles at high and low speeds.
It can be switched in stages.

Referring also to FIG. 2, rotating brush device B
includes a top rotating brush 5 and a pair of side rotating brushes 6. The upper rotating brush 5 is attached to the frame 2
A swinging arm 9 is mounted on a horizontal horizontal shaft 8 rotatably supported on the
It is supported so that it can be freely driven. That is, the horizontal shafts 8 are rotatably supported on the frame 2 in pairs on the left and right, and the upper surface is held between one end of a pair of swinging arms 9 whose intermediate portions are fixed at right angles to the tips of the horizontal shafts 8. A rotating brush 5 is pivotally supported. A prime mover 10 as a heavy object that also functions as a balance weight is supported at the other end of one swinging arm 9. The driving force of this prime mover 10 is transmitted through the transmission within one swinging arm 9. It is transmitted to the upper rotating brush 5 via a mechanism (not shown). Furthermore, a balance weight 50 is fixed to the other end of the other swing arm 9. in this way,
An upper rotary brush 5 is pivotally supported between one end of both swinging arms 9, and a prime mover 1 as a heavy object is mounted at the other end of the swinging arm 9.
0 and the balance weight 50 are fixed, the upper rotating brush 5 moves toward the vehicle with a contact surface pressure corresponding to the difference between the moment on the upper rotating brush 5 side about the horizontal axis 8 and the moment on the heavy object side. contact the top surface of the

A sprocket 11 is fixed to one of the horizontal shafts 8, and an intermediate shaft 12 is rotatably supported on the frame 2 below the horizontal shaft 8. This intermediate shaft 12
Another sprocket 13 is fixed to. An endless chain 14 is suspended between both sprockets 11 and 13, and a piston rod 17 of an air cylinder 16 whose lower end is supported by the frame 2 is connected to a mounting bracket 15 fixed in the middle of the chain 14. be done. Therefore, by reducing the air cylinder 16, the upper rotary brush 5 can be held in the upper retracted position as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
Also, if the air cylinder 16 is made inactive,
The upper rotating brush 5 can freely swing back and forth relative to the frame 2 about the horizontal shaft 8 as a fulcrum in response to contact with the upper surface of the vehicle.

The rotation shafts 18 of the pair of side rotating brushes 6 are held in a holding cylinder 19, and the holding cylinder 19 is fixed to the movable frame 20 with its axis being vertical. Moving frame 20
is slidably engaged with the guide rail 21 horizontally mounted on the frame 2, and the support shaft 2 of the guide rail 21
2 is rotatably supported by the frame 2. Therefore, the guide rail 21, the moving frame 20, the holding cylinder 1
9. The rotating shaft 18 and the side rotating brush 6 are swingable in the traveling direction 4 about the supporting shaft 22 as a fulcrum.
A prime mover 23 is supported on the moving frame 20,
An endless chain 26 is suspended between a sprocket 24 fixed to the output shaft of the prime mover 23 and a sprocket 25 fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 18.
The side rotating brush 6 is rotationally driven by the prime mover 23 .

The drying device D includes a pair of side air blowing nozzles 27 that open inward on both sides of the frame 2, and a top air blowing nozzle 28 that opens downward at the top of the frame 2, which are connected to a blower 29. 28
is raised and lowered by a lifting means (not shown) in accordance with the height of the vehicle to be dried.

The detergent spraying device C includes a plurality of spray nozzles 47 provided in a detergent supply header 46 provided in a gate shape, and the wax applicator W includes a plurality of spray nozzles 49 provided in a wax supply header 48 provided in a gate shape. It consists of

The drying device D, detergent spraying device C, and wax applicator W are conventionally installed in car wash machines, and their configurations are also conventionally known.

The limescale remover spraying devices M ₁ and M ₂ are connected to frames 2 in front and behind the rotating brush device B along the traveling direction 4.
and those scale remover spraying devices M ₁ ,
Rinse water spray devices R ₁ and R ₂ are provided between M ₂ and the rotating brush device B, respectively.

In Figure 3, scale remover spraying devices M ₁ , M ₂
is constructed by attaching a plurality of spray nozzles 33, 34 to gate-shaped supply headers 31, 32 supported inside the frame 2, facing the vehicle (not shown). These spraying nozzles 33 and 34 are attached to supply headers 31 and 32, respectively, so that the spraying direction can be adjusted, and the opening area thereof is set to be relatively large. Also rinse water spray device
R ₁ and R ₂ are constructed by attaching a plurality of spray nozzles 37 and 38 facing the vehicle to gate-shaped supply headers 35 and 36 supported inside the frame 2.

A supply pump P, an air source A, a scale remover storage tank MT, and a base wax storage tank WT are connected to the scale remover spraying devices M ₁ and M ₂ , respectively. In other words, the water supply pump P has a first solenoid valve.
S ₁ and the first ejector E ₁ are connected in this order,
A second solenoid valve S ₂ , a pressure reducing valve CV and a second ejector E ₂ are connected in this order to the air source A, and a first ejector E ₁ is connected at right angles to the second ejector E ₂ . The third solenoid valve S ₃ is installed in the scale remover storage tank MT.
is connected to the base wax storage tank WT, and a fourth solenoid valve _S4 is connected to the base wax storage tank WT, which are connected in parallel and at right angles to the first ejector _E1 . Furthermore, the second ejector E ₂ is connected to the upper center of the supply header 31 in one scale remover spraying device M ₁ via the fifth solenoid valve S ₅ , and
The other scale remover spraying device via the sixth solenoid valve S ₆
Connected to the top center of the supply header 32 at _M2 .

The water supply pump P also includes a rinse water spray device R ₁ ,
In order to supply water to R ₂ , their supply headers 35,
36 via seventh and eighth solenoid valves S ₇ and S ₈ , respectively.

As the scale remover stored in the scale remover storage tank MT, a strong alkaline agent that exhibits a pH of 14 in its undiluted solution is used, which has been adjusted to a pH of about 12 to 14. As a result of the inventor's experiments, this is true of the conventional PH8.
This is based on the discovery that water scale cannot be removed with detergents with a pH of 10 to 10, but that scale removers with a pH of 12 to 14 can lift and remove water scale from vehicle painted surfaces. be.

A reflection type ultrasonic detection device 51 for detecting a high-level surface and a low-level surface of the vehicle is disposed at the upper front portion of the frame 2 along the forward direction (right direction in FIG. 1). The configuration of the ultrasonic detection device 51 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4.

The ultrasonic detection device 51 includes a transmitting section 52 and a receiving section 53 that are arranged close to each other. The transmitting unit 52 is given a pulsed ultrasonic signal from the transmitting circuit 54 to transmit toward the top of the vehicle, and the receiving unit 53 receives the reflected wave reflected from the top of the vehicle and inputs it to the receiving circuit 55. . In the receiving circuit 55,
It is determined whether the reflected wave is an ultrasonic wave emitted from the transmitter 52 or not, and if it is the ultrasonic wave emitted from the transmitter 52, the received signal is input to the arithmetic circuit 56. On the other hand, a transmission signal is input from the transmission circuit 54 to the arithmetic circuit 56, and due to the time difference between transmission and reception, the ultrasonic detection device 51
The vertical distance from to the top surface of the vehicle is calculated, and a voltage signal proportional to the distance is input from the calculation circuit 56 to the comparison circuit 57. The comparison circuit 57 has a predetermined reference distance from the ultrasonic detection device 51, for example, the installation height of the ultrasonic detection device 51, and a predetermined reference height _H1 lower than the bonnet surface BT of the vehicle V (see FIG. 9).
A reference voltage signal Vb is input corresponding to the height difference between the two. Therefore, when the top surface of the vehicle V with a height of H ₁ or more is located below the transmitting section 52 and the receiving section 53, a detection signal is output from the comparison circuit 57, and this detection signal is transmitted to the control panel 39. , to a control circuit 58 as a control device.

Here, the transmitting part 52 and the receiving part 53 of the ultrasonic detection device 51 are formed in a conical shape that becomes larger in diameter toward the bottom. The scattered cleaning water adheres to the inner surfaces of the transmitting section 52 and the receiving section 53,
There is a risk that the ultrasonic waves emitted from the transmitting section 52 will directly enter the receiving section 53 and cause malfunction. In addition, weak ultrasonic waves called side lobes are generated along the conical side wall of the transmitter 52, but the propagation direction and intensity of these side lobes change depending on the temperature, density, etc. of the atmosphere. Therefore, depending on the atmospheric condition, the receiving section 53 may receive a reflected wave from an object located laterally, rather than a reflected wave from a reflector directly below it, causing a malfunction.

Therefore, shielding cylinders 52a and 53a made of synthetic resin, which are elongated in the vertical direction and whose lower ends are open, are suspended from the tips of the transmitting part 52 and the receiving part 53, respectively, and these shielding cylinders 52a and 53a are used to clean the car during car washing. This prevents droplets such as water from emitting and entering the receiving sections 52 and 53, and also blocks the side lobes of the ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, when the car wash machine 1 is operated in cold weather, the temperature and humidity of the air inside the car wash machine 1 rises because the temperature of the washing water is higher than the outside air. This causes water droplets to adhere to their inner surfaces, causing breakdowns and malfunctions. However, the ends of the transmitting and receiving parts 52 and 53 are covered with the shielding cylinders 52a and 53a, and the shielding cylinders 52a and
By suppressing the convection of air inside and outside 53a, it is possible to prevent dew condensation in the emitting and receiving sections 52 and 53 as described above.

In such an ultrasonic detection device 51, the upper surface of the vehicle V is at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal plane, for example, 15
If the vehicle V is tilted more than a degree, the receiving unit 53 does not receive the reflected ultrasonic waves from the top surface of the vehicle V.
On the other hand, the front window and rear window of a vehicle are generally inclined at 15 degrees or more with respect to the horizontal plane, and therefore the front window and rear window are not detected by the ultrasonic detection device 51. Therefore, the ultrasonic detection device 51 can detect the high-level surface and the low-level surface of the vehicle V based on a change from a reflected wave receiving state to a non-receivable state, or vice versa.

Such rotating brush device B, drying device D, detergent spray device C, wax applicator W, rinsing water spray device R ₁ , R ₂ and scale remover spray device M ₁ ,
The operation of M ₂ and the running operation of frame 2 are as follows:
Control circuit 58 in control panel 39 provided in frame 2
Controlled by Further, the detection signal from the ultrasonic detector 51 is input to a control circuit 58, and the running speed of the frame 2 by the driving means 7 is switched between high and low levels according to the height of the top surface of the vehicle to be brushed by the top rotating brush 5. It will be done. That is, when brushing a high-level surface of the vehicle V, the running speed of the frame 2 is set high, and when brushing a low-level surface of the vehicle V, the running speed of the frame 2 is set low.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained, with particular attention paid to the scale removal process, and the operation of the upper rotating brush 5 and the frame 2 will be explained in detail. In other words, in the scale removal process, a scale remover is sprayed in the form of a foam onto the surface of the vehicle and the surface is brushed.However, if the low and high surfaces of the vehicle are brushed at the same speed as in the past, In this case, the contact surface pressure of the upper rotary brush 5 on the bonnet surface and trunk surface is smaller than that on the ceiling surface, so that the scale removal effect is inferior. Particularly on the bonnet surface, water scale is firmly attached due to the heat radiated from the engine, so the effectiveness of removing water scale is poor. For this reason, especially in white-painted vehicles, dark water stains may remain on the bonnet surface, resulting in an uneven finish on the treated surface compared to the ceiling surface. Therefore, during brushing, the frame 2 is run at a lower speed when brushing the lower surface than when brushing the higher surface to obtain an even treated surface over the entire upper surface of the vehicle. Figure ~ Figure 8,
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In addition, in Figures 5 to 8, the upper a
indicates a simplified side surface, and b below indicates its simplified plane.

First, to remove limescale from the vehicle V, the rotating brush device B, the detergent spray device C, and the drying device D perform brushing cleaning and drying of the vehicle V in the same manner as in a conventional car wash machine.

Next, a start key (not shown) on the control panel 39 is pressed. As a result, frame 2 becomes the fifth
Go back and forth as shown by the arrows in the figure. Along with this,
The first, second, third, and fifth solenoid valves S ₁ , S ₂ , S ₃ , and S ₅ open, and the fourth, sixth, seventh, and eighth solenoid valves S ₄ , S ₆ ,
S ₇ and S ₈ are kept closed. Therefore, the water from the water supply pump P sucks up the scale remover in the first ejector E ₁ and reaches the second ejector E ₂ .
In this second ejector _E2 , the air from the air source A is foamed. The foamy scale remover is fed to the supply header 31 of one scale remover spraying device _M1 .
Then, the foam is sprayed toward the vehicle V from each spray nozzle 33. At this time, since the opening area of the spray nozzle 33 is set to be relatively large, the bubbles of the scale remover adhere to the surface of the vehicle V without being crushed. Spraying the scale remover in the form of foam in this way prevents the scale remover sprayed on the surface of the vehicle V from flowing down immediately, and is necessary for lifting the scale from the surface of the vehicle V. This is to ensure a sufficient reaction time and obtain a uniform treated surface. Also, according to experiments, by forming the foam into a foam, it was possible to obtain a superior scale removal effect compared to simply spraying the liquid. Further, the brushing by the rotating brush device B performs the same effect as the manual scrubbing operation, and allows the scale remover sprayed on the surface of the vehicle V to adhere more uniformly to the front surface of the vehicle V.

The traveling speed of the frame 2 during spraying and brushing of the scale remover will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 9.
1 and the upper rotating brush 5 are indicated by the same subscripts.

When the frame 2 starts moving forward, there is no vehicle V below the ultrasonic detection device 51, and the frame 2 moves forward at a low speed. Therefore, while the frame 2 is moving at a low speed, the bonnet surface BT of the vehicle V first touches the top rotating brush 5.
brushed with. Further, while the ultrasonic detection device 51 is passing over the bonnet surface BT, a reflected wave is being received by the receiving section 53, and the ultrasonic detection device 51 is inputting a detection signal to the control circuit 58.

Next, the ultrasonic detection device 51 detects the bonnet surface.
After reaching the position 51A corresponding to the boundary P ₁ between the BT and the front window FW and further passing through the boundary P ₁ , the receiving unit 53 no longer receives the reflected wave from the front window FW. A predetermined period of time from when the receiving state changes to the unreceivable state.
When T ₁ has elapsed, the rotation speed of the driving means 7, that is, the driving motor RM is switched from low speed to high speed. This set time _T1 is the time required for the upper rotating brush 5 to reach the position 5B on the front window FW from the position 5A, based on the low running speed of the frame 2. Furthermore, during this time,
When the pair of side brushes 6 reach the front end of the vehicle V, the running of the frame 2 is temporarily stopped in order to open both side brushes 6 to both sides. When the sum of the operating times reaches a set time _T1 , the running speed of the frame 2 is switched from low to high speed.

Even when the ultrasonic detection device 51 moves from above the front window FW to above the ceiling surface RF,
The receiving section 53 receives reflected waves from the frame 2, and a detection signal is input to the control circuit 58, but the traveling speed of the frame 2 by the driving means 7 remains high. Next, when the ultrasonic detection device 51 passes through the position 51C corresponding to the boundary P ₂ between the ceiling surface RF and the rear window RW and reaches the rear window RW, the reflected wave from the rear window RW is no longer received by the receiving unit 53. . When the frame 2 has traveled for a predetermined time T ₃ from the time when this boundary P ₂ was detected, the traveling speed of the frame 2 is switched from high speed to low speed. said time
T ₃ is the time required for the upper rotating brush 5 to reach the position 5D above the rear window RW from the position 5C, which is set based on the high speed of the frame 2. In this way, the frame 2 is traveling at high speed until the upper surface rotating brush 5 reaches the position 5B on the front window FW to the position 5D on the rear window RW, and in this high-speed traveling state, the ceiling surface
RF is brushed by the upper rotating brush 5. Moreover, the time T ₂ for the upper rotating brush 5 to move from the position 5B to the position 5D is measured by the control circuit 58.

After the upper rotary brush 5 reaches the position 5D, the frame 2 travels at a low speed, and the upper rotary brush 5 passes through the position 5E on the trunk surface TK and reaches the end in the outgoing direction indicated by the position 5F. Moreover, the top rotating brush 5
The control circuit 58 measures the time T ₄ from position 5D to position 5F.

In this way, the frame 2 travels at low speed when the upper rotating brush 5 is on the lower surface of the vehicle V, that is, the bonnet surface BT and the trunk surface TK, and the upper rotating brush 5 is on the vehicle V.
It runs at high speed when it is on the high plane of RF, that is, on the ceiling surface RF. Therefore, on the bonnet surface BT and the trunk surface TK, a scale remover spraying device M ₁ is installed.
A relatively large amount of limescale remover is sprayed, and brushing with the top rotating brush 5 is performed over a relatively long period of time.

Next, the frame 2 is moved back as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, and the first, second, third, and sixth solenoid valves S ₁ , S ₂ , S ₃ , and S ₆ are opened. The fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth solenoid valves S ₄ , S ₅ , S ₇ , and S ₈ are closed. As a result, the scale remover is sprayed in the form of foam from the other scale remover spraying device _M2 toward the vehicle V, and brushing of the rotary brush device B is performed in the same manner as the brushing described above.

The change in the running speed of frame 2 at this time will be explained with reference to FIG. 10. Frame 2 runs at a low speed from the start of the go-around until time T ₆ has elapsed. This time T ₆ is the sum of the above-mentioned time T ₄ and a predetermined time T ₅ , and the time T ₅ is the time when the upper rotating brush 5 is on the rear window RW when the frame 2 is going out and going back. It is determined by the difference in the position of the horizontal axis 8. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the frame 2 is moving forward, the horizontal axis 8 is at a position 8D ahead of the top rotating brush 5 in the forward direction, and when the frame 2 is going back, the horizontal axis 8 is at a position 8D further forward than the upper rotating brush 5. It is at the front in the direction of travel. Therefore, even if the upper rotating brush 5 is located at the same position 5D, 5H on the rear window RW, there is a difference in the horizontal axis 8, that is, the position of the frame 2, and the frame 2 is moved by the distance L between both positions 8D, 8H. A time _T5 is set as the time for the vehicle to travel at low speed. Therefore, while the upper rotating brush 5 is moving from the position 5F to the position 5G on the trunk surface TK to the position 5H on the rear window RW, the frame 2
runs at low speed. In addition, a pair of side brushes 6
When the side brushes 6 reach the rear end of the vehicle V, the frame 2
The traveling speed of frame 2 is temporarily stopped, but when the sum of the time during which frame 2 has substantially traveled reaches the time _T6 , the traveling speed of frame 2 is switched from low speed to high speed.

After the time T ₆ has elapsed, frame 2 runs at high speed until the time T ₂ has elapsed. That is, the frame 2 travels at high speed while the top rotating brush 5 travels from a position 5H on the rear window RW to a position 5I on the ceiling surface RF to a position 5J on the front window FW.

After the time _T2 has elapsed, the running speed of the frame 2 is switched to a low speed, and the rotating upper brush 5 moves from the position 5J to the position 5K on the bonnet surface BT until it returns to the position 5L before starting limescale removal.
Frame 2 runs at low speed.

When the frame 2 returns to the descaling start position, the process is paused for, for example, 5 to 10 minutes. As a result, the limescale attached to the surface of the vehicle V is lifted off from the surface of the vehicle V by the limescale remover. Also, during this time, areas that are difficult to brush with the rotating brush device B are manually touched up.

After the 5 to 10 minute pause, the control panel 39
Press the rinse start key (not shown) above to move frame 2 forward and backward as shown by the arrows in FIG. Along with this, the seventh and eighth solenoid valves S ₇ and S ₈
is opened, and the first to sixth solenoid valves S ₁ to S ₆ are closed.
Therefore, water is sprayed toward the vehicle V from both rinse water spray devices R ₁ and R ₂ , and a brushing operation by the rotating brush device B is performed. As a result, the floating scale and scale remover are washed from the surface of the vehicle V. At this time, each rinse water spray device R ₁ ,
The diameter of the spray nozzles 37 and 38 provided in the supply headers 35 and 36 of R ₂ is made small, and the spray nozzle 3
By increasing the number of elements 7 and 38, water can be evenly sprayed onto the surface of the vehicle V.

In addition, the water spray from one rinsing water spray device R ₂ is such that some of the water scales, etc. that have been once removed by the brushing of the rotary brush device B are transferred to the respective rotary brushes 5 and 6.
Because it adheres to the surface of the vehicle V due to the centrifugal force of
This is to wash it away.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the frame 2 is moved back as shown by the arrow, and only the seventh and eighth solenoid valves S ₇ and S ₈ are opened, and the other solenoid valves S ₁ to _{S 6} are opened. Close the valve. As a result, both rinsing water spray devices R ₁ ,
Water is sprayed from _R2 , and the residue left in the rinsing process shown in FIG. 7 is washed away. At this time, the scale remover is not left on the surface of the vehicle V and the number of times of brushing is large, so the rotating brush device B remains inactive to avoid damaging the painted surface of the vehicle V. .

In this manner, the scale removal process is completed, but when the upper surface rotating brush 5 passes over the high surface of the vehicle V, that is, the ceiling surface RF, the running speed of the frame 2 is set to the altitude, and the low surface of the vehicle V, that is, the bonnet surface BT. Since the traveling speed of the frame 2 is set to be low when the upper rotating brush 5 passes over the trunk surface TK, a uniformly finished treated surface can be obtained over the entire upper surface of the vehicle V. Moreover, since there is no need to brush the ceiling surface RF more than necessary, the work time can be shortened. Furthermore, on the bonnet surface BT, where water scale has strongly adhered due to heat dissipation from the engine, the frame 2 is set at a low speed to spray a relatively large amount of limescale remover, and on the ceiling surface RF, where water scale is easily removed, the frame 2 is set at high speed to remove water scale. Since a relatively small amount of the descaling agent is sprayed, wasteful consumption of the descaling agent can be avoided.

After completing such a lime scale removal process, a wax application device W and a rinsing water spray device R ₂ are used to apply a vehicle polishing method developed by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Publication No. 1983-
4657) etc., polish the vehicle and let it dry. This makes it possible to obtain a glossier painted surface than before. At this time, the base wax liquid and the scale remover are distributed in the scale remover spraying device _M2 , but the effectiveness of the base wax liquid and the scale remover will not change even if a small amount of other substances are mixed in. Therefore, the scale remover spraying device can be shared.

FIG. 12 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and this embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in how the predetermined reference distance from the ultrasonic detection device 51 is set. That is, in this second embodiment, the installation height of the ultrasonic detection device 51 and the bonnet surface of the vehicle V are
A reference voltage signal corresponding to the height difference from a predetermined reference height _H2 that is higher than BT and lower than the ceiling surface RF.
Vb is input to the comparison circuit 57. As a result, when the frame 2 moves back and forth, the ultrasonic detection device 51 detects the front window FW and the ceiling surface.
A detection signal is input to the control circuit 58 when the position 51A' corresponding to the boundary P ₃ with the RF is reached. When a predetermined time T ₁ ' has elapsed since the detection of this boundary P ₃ , the running speed of the frame 2 is switched from low speed to high speed. This time T ₁ ' is set as the time required for the upper rotating brush 5 to reach the position 5B on the front window FW from the position 5A' on the bonnet surface BT.

The subsequent travel control of the frame 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, both when going out and going back.
When the upper rotating brush 5 passes over the ceiling surface RF, the running speed of the frame 2 is high, and the upper rotating brush 5 passes over the bonnet surface BT and the trunk surface.
When passing over TK, the traveling speed of frame 2 is set to be low.

In the above embodiments, only the brushing time in the scale removal process was described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to the cleaning process. In other words, even when brushing with washing water that has been used in the past, the running speed of the frame 2 is set to a high speed to correspond to the high-level surfaces of the vehicle, and the running speed of the frame 2 is set to a low speed to correspond to the low-level surfaces of the vehicle. Even if it is made to do so, it is possible to obtain a treated surface with a uniform finish over the entire upper surface of the vehicle V. Moreover, the effect of shortening the cleaning time can also be obtained.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a frame, a swinging arm whose intermediate portion is supported by the frame so as to be swingable about a horizontal axis, and a shaft rotatably supported at one end of the swinging arm. A rotating upper brush that is supported and capable of brushing the upper surface of the vehicle, a heavy object fixed to the other end of the swinging arm, and a driving means for relatively moving the frame and the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In a car wash machine comprising at least:
The frame is configured to be able to switch the relative motion speed between the frame and the vehicle into two levels, high and low, and the frame includes an ultrasonic detection device capable of detecting a boundary between a high surface of the vehicle and the window, or a boundary between the low surface and the window; Based on the detection signal of this ultrasonic detection device,
A control device is provided for switching and controlling the driving means to a high speed side when the upper rotating brush is in a position corresponding to the high level surface, and to switch the driving means to a low speed side when the upper rotating brush is in a position corresponding to the low level surface. ,
The contact pressure of the top rotating brush is relatively small.
When brushing a low-level surface of the vehicle, the relative motion speed is switched to a low speed side so that the low-level surface can be sufficiently brushed over time.On the other hand, when brushing a high-level surface of the vehicle, the contact surface pressure is relatively large. Sometimes, the relative motion speed can be switched to a high speed side to brush the high surface efficiently and quickly and accurately within a range that does not interfere with the brushing effect, and as a result, the high surface and low surface of the vehicle can be brushed. It is possible to suppress differences in effects as much as possible, and to greatly contribute to improving the efficiency of processing operations as a whole.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 11 show the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional side view, Figure 2 is a front view showing the top rotating brush and drive system, and Figure 3 is a scale removal FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic detection device, and FIGS. 5 to 8 sequentially show operations during scale removal. a is a simplified side view, b is a simplified plan view thereof, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are side views for explaining the speed control of the frame during the operation of FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively,
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the difference in the position of the horizontal axis when the frame moves forward and backward, and FIG. 12 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view corresponding to FIG. 9. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Car wash machine, 2... Frame, 5... Top rotating brush, 7... Drive means, 9... Swinging arm, 10
... Prime mover as a heavy object, 50... Balance weight as a heavy object, 51... Ultrasonic detection device, 58... Control circuit as a control device, BT...
...Bonnet surface as a low surface, FW...Front window as a window, RF...Ceiling surface as a high surface, RW...Rear window as a window, TK...Trunk surface as a low surface, V
……vehicle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 a frame 2, a swinging arm 9 whose intermediate portion is supported by the frame 2 so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis;
a top rotating brush 5 rotatably supported by one end of the swinging arm 9 and capable of brushing the top surface of the vehicle V;
Heavy objects 10 and 5 fixed to the other end of the swing arm 9
0, and a driving means 7 for causing the frame 2 and the vehicle V to move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle V. The frame 2 is capable of detecting the boundary between the high surface RF of the vehicle V and the windows FW, RW, or between the low surface BT, TK and the windows FW, RW. Based on the ultrasonic detection device 51 and the detection signal of this ultrasonic detection device 51, the upper surface rotating brush 5 detects the high-level surface RF.
A control device 58 is provided for switching and controlling the drive means 7 to the high speed side when the drive means 7 is in a position corresponding to the lower planes BT and TK, and to switch the drive means 7 to the low speed side when the drive means 7 is in a position corresponding to the lower surfaces BT and TK. A car wash machine featuring: