JPH0251782B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a type of car wash machine in which cleaning brushes are disposed inside the main body of the car wash machine formed in a portal shape, and automatically washes a car body according to a predetermined sequence. [Prior art and its problems] Conventionally, this type of car wash machine is equipped with multiple sensors in each part to protect the car body being washed, and if an abnormality such as a breakdown or malfunction occurs during the car wash, the car wash operation is stopped immediately. It was structured like this. However, with these conventional car wash machines, there is no way to properly understand the cause of an abnormality that occurs, and it takes a long time to recover because it takes time to investigate the cause. There was an inconvenience caused by repeated stops. For example, even if an abnormality occurs in the operation of the cleaning brush, if the bristles of the brush get caught and prevent the rotation or movement of the brush, or if the operating device that moves the cleaning brush breaks down or malfunctions, or if the car's shape There are various possible causes, such as when the movement of the brush is obstructed due to complexity, or when malfunction occurs due to bearing wear or damage, etc., and the way to deal with it depends on the cause. In particular, when calling a service person for repair after an abnormality occurs, if the car wash machine has not been maintained in the state in which the abnormality occurred, the location and situation of the abnormality will not be known, and it will take time to investigate the cause, making it difficult to repair. There was an inconvenience that it took a long time. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made in response to the above points, and includes means for determining the sensor that has detected an abnormality and detecting the location where the abnormality has occurred, and a means for detecting the location where the abnormality has occurred according to the operation of each part. means for dividing the sequence into multiple steps of the car wash process and detecting the car wash process at the time when the abnormality occurs; means for storing the location of the abnormality detected by both of the detection means and the car wash process; means for displaying the location and car wash process; input means for accepting input operations; and means for stopping the car wash operation in progress when an abnormality is detected based on a signal from the sensor, and storing the location and car wash process where the abnormality has occurred. and means for controlling the display means to display on the display means the location where the abnormality has occurred and the car washing process to be stored in the storage means if a predetermined input operation is performed on the input means. This has been improved to make it easier to understand. [Example] Hereinafter, an explanation will be given based on an example shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a front view and a perspective view showing the configuration of an embodiment according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a car washing machine main body which is gate-shaped and has various rotating brushes arranged inside, and is configured to run on a pair of rails 2 and 2' and wash automobiles parked between the rails 2 and 2'. has been done. Reference numerals 3 and 3' denote a pair of left and right side brushes, which are suspended from a brush rail 4 installed on the top of the main body, and are moved according to the shape of the car to be washed.
It moves while rotating on the top and cleans the side of the car body. Reference numeral 5 denotes a top brush supported by a pair of swing arms 6 and 6' pivotally supported on both sides of the main body, which moves up and down according to the shape of the car to clean the top surface of the car body.
Reference numerals 7 and 7' denote a pair of left and right rocker brushes provided on the lower halves of both sides of the main body, which move from side to side while being supported by swing arms 8 and 8', and are mainly used to wash car tires and the lower halves of the sides of the car body. Reference numeral 9 denotes a drying blower nozzle supported on the top of the main body, which moves up and down according to the shape of the car via a link arm 10, blows air onto the car body, scatters adhering water droplets, and promotes drying. Reference numeral 11 denotes an operation panel provided on the front side of the main body, which includes a display device and an input board, and is used to operate and manage the operations of the main body, the details of which will be described later. In addition, the main body is equipped with nozzle pipes for spraying water, detergent, and wax liquid, respectively, and sprays each in an appropriate sequence. Next, the sensors provided in each part will be explained. Reference numeral 12 denotes a traveling sensor provided at the lower end of the main body, and convex pieces 13 and 1 are formed at the front and rear along the rails 2 and 2', respectively, and indicate the movement limit position of the main body 1.
3' is detected and a switching operation is performed, and the main body 1
Detects the range in which the vehicle can travel. 14, 14' are arms 15, 1 for hanging the side brushes 3, 3'.
With the vehicle body detection sensor that can be removed for 5',
The switching operation is performed by sensing that the side brushes 3, 3' tilt back and forth in contact with the bumper of the car to be washed, and the position of the front of the car body is detected. 16,
Reference numeral 17 denotes a side brush opening/closing sensor attached to the air cylinder 18 for opening and closing the side brushes 3, 3', which consists of a reed switch that switches in response to a magnet built into the piston of the air cylinder 18. is rail 4
Detect opening and closing by moving above.
Sensors 19 and 20 rotate together with the swing arms 6 and 6' of the top brush 5, and are comprised of reed switches that respond to magnets attached to the sensor rod 21, and detect the vertical state of the top brush 5. Reference numeral 22 denotes a rocker brush opening/closing sensor provided in the air cylinder 23 that drives the swing arms 8, 8' of the rocker brushes 7, 7', which is composed of a reed switch like the opening/closing sensors 16, 17, and detects the open/closed state of the rocker brushes 7, 7'. is being detected. 24 is an air cylinder 25 that drives the link arm 10 of the blower nozzle 9
A blower nozzle elevation sensor provided in the blower nozzle 9 is composed of a reed switch like the above-mentioned sensors 16, 17, and 22, and detects the elevation state of the blower nozzle 9. 26 is the sub link 27 of the blower nozzle 9
A vehicle height abnormality sensor installed in the vehicle detects when the vehicle body contacts the blower nozzle 9 and the nozzle 9 tilts due to an abnormality in the vehicle height setting, etc., and performs switching. 28 is a vehicle height sensor installed on the front top of the main body, which is equipped with an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver, receives the reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves irradiated to the vehicle body, and measures the reflection time to determine the height of the vehicle to be cleaned. Determine.
Reference numerals 29 and 29' are vehicle width sensors with a sensing rod protruding from the entrance of the main body, which indicates the limit of the width of the car that can be washed depending on whether or not the sensing rod is touched. It also detects cars that are stopped unevenly. In addition, the pneumatic pipes and water pipes provided in the main body are each equipped with a pressure sensor to sense the respective pneumatic and water pressures. FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory view of the operation panel 11, in which a display device 30 is arranged above and an input board 31 is arranged below. The display device 30 is
Here, an LCD (liquid crystal display) is used, which displays necessary data and operating procedures in an interactive manner according to the input to the input board 31, and guides the user so that the car wash work and management can be carried out according to the user's wishes. . Each key on the input board 31 will be explained below. Reference numeral 32 designates buttons for selecting different car wash courses, which are distinguished by the presence or absence of wax treatment, the speed of the car wash, etc., and can be selected according to the customer's preference. 33 is manual avoidance and selection button 3 in case of emergency
The manual button allows you to adjust the fine movements that cannot be covered by automatic car washing.
The forward and backward movement of each can be operated manually. 34 is a start button for starting the car wash course selected and set using the selection button 32; 35 is a water drain button which introduces compressed air from the compressor into the water pipe line to forcibly drain water, and also drains each brush 3, 3', 5, 7,
7' can be rotated to drain water and prevent freezing in cold weather. 36 is a key switch for turning on the power.
There are two modes: ``operation.'' In the ``management'' mode, you mainly use the display 30 to manage the car wash machine, including daily and monthly totals, as well as start-of-work and end-of-work inspections. In mode, it performs the original car washing work. 37 performs the original car washing work with the membership card. 37 is a membership card insertion slot, and 38 is a coin insertion slot. Each of the buttons 32, 33, 34, and 35 has a built-in lamp, and the card insertion slot 3
7 and coin slot 38 have auxiliary lamps 39 and 40.
The lamps of the parts to be operated turn on or flash according to the operating procedure, and even customers who do not know how to operate the system can easily do so by operating the lamps in the order in which they light up or flash. The car wash machine is configured to be able to be operated. Reference numeral 41 denotes an input key set having a numeric keypad 42, a return key 43, a cursor key 44, and a correction key 45, which are used to input the member's registered car number, financial data, etc., and to input responses to the display in the "management" mode. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of this embodiment, where 46 is the main control board, 47 is a relay board that centrally performs relay operations to each output device 48 such as a motor and solenoid valve, and 49 is a block diagram showing the control system of this embodiment. This is a sub-control board that exchanges signals with the display device 30 and input board 31. Here, input board 31
When the desired car wash selection is input in ,
The input signal reaches the main board 46 via the sub-board 49, and the main board executes a sequence program according to the input and outputs a signal to the relay board 47 to start car washing. 50 is an input device block consisting of the various sensors etc. mentioned above;
Sensing signals from this input device are input to the main board 46 at any time, and the main board 46 advances the sequence program being executed in response to the input signals. Here, if the main board judges or detects that the signal from the input device 50 indicates an abnormality, it outputs an emergency stop to the relay board 47 and sends the abnormality detection point and abnormality to the sub-board 49. The sub-board outputs a signal representing the car wash process, and the sub-board stores this signal in its built-in RAM and at the same time outputs data corresponding to the signal onto the display device 30. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs, the car wash operation is not only interrupted to protect the car body, but also the location and process where the abnormality occurred is displayed on the display 30, and the abnormality data is stored to perform repairs, etc. The configuration is such that the data can be taken out on the display 30 at any time as reference data. FIG. 5 is a timing chart of each part related to the car wash operation of this embodiment, and here, as an example, the main body 1
This shows the most basic car wash sequence in which the car goes back and forth on the rails 2 and 2' twice and completes the car wash. Most of the operations are the same. The operation of this embodiment will be explained below in accordance with the car washing process divided into 13 steps shown in the figure. Step 1: When the start button 34 is turned on, the side brushes 3, 3' are rotated, the air cylinder 18 is released from the force and moved to the center, and the open/close sensor 16 detects that the brushes are in the closed state. When detected, it moves to the next step. Step 2: The top brush 5 is rotated and lowered to the car washing position, and the main body 1 is advanced.
As the main body moves forward, the vehicle body detection sensors 14, 1
4', it is detected that the bumper of the automobile comes into contact with the side brushes 3, 3', and the forward movement of the main body 1 is stopped. Step 3: When the main body 1 stops running, the side brushes 3, 3' are opened while cleaning the front of the vehicle body, and the rocker brushes 7, 7' are rotated and moved to the car washing position. When the opening/closing sensor 17 detects that the side brushes 3, 3' are opened, the process moves to the next step. Step 4: With each brush rotating, turn main unit 1
advance. Each brush acts on the car body along the car body shape, and when the opening/closing sensor 16 detects that the side brushes 3, 3' have wrapped around the rear of the car body and closed, the main body 1 stops running, and at the same time, the side brushes 3, 3' close. Stop operation. Step 5: Temporarily stop the rotation of the top brush 5, move the main body 1 backwards, and detect the vehicle body detection sensor 1.
When it is detected that the side brushes 3, 3' come into contact with the vehicle body at 4, 14', the backward movement of the main body 1 is stopped. Step 6: The side brushes 3, 3' are rotated to clean and open the rear surface of the vehicle body, and the top brush 5 is rotated to make the vehicle ready for washing. At the opening/closing sensor 17, the side brushes 3, 3'
It detects that it has opened and moves to the next step. Step 7: Move the main body 1 backward with the side brushes 3, 3' and top brush 5 rotated. Both brushes act on the vehicle body along the vehicle body shape, and when the travel sensor 12 detects the stop position of the main body 1, the rotation of the top brush 5 is stopped and the backward movement of the main body 1 is stopped. Step 8: When the opening/closing sensor 16 detects that the side brushes 3, 3' have been wrapped around the front of the vehicle body and closed, the process moves to the next step. Step 9: The top brush 5 is rotated and lowered to the car washing position, and the main body 1 is moved forward.
As the main body moves forward, the vehicle body detection sensors 14, 1
4', it is detected that the bumper of the automobile comes into contact with the side brushes 3, 3', and the forward movement of the main body 1 is stopped. Step 10: With the main body 1 stopped, open the side brushes 3 and 3' while cleaning the front of the vehicle.
When the opening/closing sensor 17 detects that this side brush is opened, the process moves to the next step. Step 11: Move the main body 1 forward with the side brushes 3, 3' and top brush 5 rotated. Both brushes act on the vehicle body along the vehicle body shape, and when the opening/closing sensor 16 detects that the side brushes 3, 3' have wrapped around the rear surface of the vehicle body and closed, the running of the main body 1 is stopped. Step 12: Drive the blower to start blowing air from the blower nozzle 9, and at the same time, the side brushes 3,
3', stop the rotation of the top brush 5, and raise it. When the opening/closing sensor 17 detects that the side brushes 3, 3' are opened, the rotation of the side brushes is stopped and the process moves to the next step. Step 13: Lower the blower nozzle 9 and remove the main body 1.
Drive the car in reverse and dry the car body. When the traveling sensor 12 detects the stop position of the main body 1,
Stop the blower and stop the main body 1 from running,
Finish the car wash sequence. As described above, each step is switched depending on the sensing signal of the corresponding sensor, and the control board 46 may not output a sensing signal from the sensor as programmed, or may output a sensing signal other than the programmed sensing signal. It is possible to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality by detecting the output of FIG. 6 shows an example of a display when an abnormality occurs on the display device 30, and variable data is displayed in the portions marked with △, □, and ○ in the figure. That is, the △ section displays the car wash courses A to E selected using the selection button 32 of the input board 31, the □ section displays the car wash processes 01 to 13 divided into each step, and the ○ section is shown in Table 1 below.
Abnormal locations a to k illustrated in are displayed. Next, the abnormal locations a to k displayed here will be explained. (See Table 1) a Vehicle height sensor: If the height of the vehicle detected by the vehicle height sensor 28 is abnormally high or low and the control board 46 determines that the vehicle cannot be washed, the reception of the vehicle wash will be canceled. to display this. b Vehicle height abnormality: When the vehicle height abnormality sensor 26 detects that the vehicle body is in direct contact with the blower nozzle 9, the car wash reception is stopped and this message is displayed. c. Air pressure: When the pressure sensor installed in the pneumatic pipeline detects that the pressure in the pipeline has decreased abnormally, the car wash is interrupted and this message is displayed. d Parking position lateral: If the vehicle width sensor 29 indicates that the vehicle's vehicle is parked at a horizontally biased or oblique position and the sensing rod of the sensor is touched, the car wash is interrupted and this message is displayed.

[Table] e Parking position Front and rear: Vehicle body detection sensor 14, 1
4', if the vehicle body is not detected at the predetermined programmed timing because the parking position is shifted forward or backward from the predetermined position, the car wash will be interrupted and this display will be displayed f Insufficient water pressure: The pressure sensor installed in the water pipe When it senses that the pressure in the pipe has dropped abnormally, the car wash is interrupted and this message is displayed. g Travel limit: When the travel sensor 12 senses the protrusion 13' on the front side and detects that the main body 1 has reached the travel limit, the car wash is interrupted and this message is displayed. h Reset position: When the main body 1 starts, the running sensor 12 detects whether or not the main body 1 is at the position where it senses the rear convex piece 13, that is, at the reset position.If it is not at the reset position, the car wash reception is canceled and Display. i Side brush: Side brush open/close sensor 1
If the side brushes 3, 3' do not perform the correct opening/closing operation according to the sequence of the set car wash course at steps 6 and 17, the car wash is interrupted and this display is displayed. j Top brush: Top brush elevation sensor 1
If the top brush 5 does not move up and down correctly in accordance with the sequence of the set car wash course at steps 9 and 20, the car wash operation is interrupted and this message is displayed. k Locker brush: If the Locker brush opening/closing sensor 22 detects that the Locker brushes 7, 7' do not open and close correctly according to the car wash sequence, the car wash is interrupted and this message is displayed. In addition to the above items, many more items such as motor overload detection using a thermal sensor are required for actual use. Further, the display data at the time of such an abnormality is stored in the RAM of the sub-board 49 with date data added thereto, and this stored data can be called up to the display device 30 when the key switch 36 is in the "management" mode. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the control operations on the control boards 46 and 47.
A method of recalling the display data stored in the RAM of No. 9 will be explained. (1) Turn on the power using key switch 36. (2) Check the mode of key switch 36 and select “Run”
If in mode, run the car wash routine and select "Manage"
If the mode is selected, selection screen A (see Table 2) is displayed to instruct selection of management items. (3) Based on the selection screen A, if there is an input to select membership registration using the numeric keypad 42, the registration routine is executed.

[Table] (4) Based on selection screen A, if there is an input to select aggregation, execute the aggregation routine. (5) Based on the selection screen A, if there is an input to select an inspection, the selection screen B (see Table 2) is displayed and the selection of the inspection item is instructed. (6) Based on the selection screen B, if there is an input to select the start-up inspection on the numeric keypad 42, the start-up inspection routine is executed. (7) Based on selection screen B, if there is an input to select end-of-work inspection, execute the end-of-work inspection routine. (8) Based on the selection screen B, if there is an input to select abnormal data, the display device 30 displays the latest abnormal data stored in the RAM of the sub-board 49 in order. (9) The displayed abnormal data is switched from the newest to the oldest at regular intervals, and when all the stored data has been displayed, the step
(1) Heritan. Therefore, by calling up the abnormality data stored in the sub-board 49 to the display device 30, it is possible to easily understand what abnormalities have occurred in the car wash machine in the past. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, a printer may be provided as a display means instead of the display device 30 to print out the stored abnormality data. [Effects of the Invention] This invention is configured as described above, and can memorize and display the location where the abnormality has occurred and the car wash process, so the location where the abnormality has occurred and the situation at the time of occurrence can be easily grasped, and the cause of the abnormality can be determined. It is possible to quickly investigate the
Repair work can be performed accurately and easily. In addition, even in the case of a breakdown beyond the control of the car wash operator,
By displaying the location of the abnormality and the car wash process and informing the service person over the phone, the service person can prepare a corresponding repair plan before heading to the site, allowing the repair to be carried out quickly. Furthermore, since the location of the abnormality and the car wash process can be memorized and displayed as necessary, the history of past abnormalities can be grasped during repairs by service personnel, making it easier to investigate the root cause and prevent the same abnormality from recurring. Complete repairs are now possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the configuration of the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is an operation timing chart of each part during a car wash operation in the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an abnormal data display screen in the same embodiment. 7th
The figure is a flowchart showing the control operation of the same embodiment. 1 is the main body of the car wash machine, 3, 3', 5, 7, and 7' are cleaning brushes, 12 to 29, and 29' are sensors, 30 is a display device as a display means, and 46 functions as a detection means, a storage means, and a control means. It is a control board.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A car wash machine of the type that automatically washes the car body according to a predetermined sequence by disposing cleaning brushes inside the main body of the car wash machine formed in a portal shape, and sensing the operation of each part. It is equipped with a plurality of sensors, and detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred based on the signals from the sensors.
In systems that stop the car wash operation when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, there is a means for identifying the sensor that has detected the abnormality and detecting the location where the abnormality has occurred, and a multi-step car wash process that changes the sequence that is being executed depending on the operation of each part. means for detecting the car wash process at the time when the abnormality occurred; means for storing the location where the abnormality occurred and the car wash process detected by both of the detection means; and means for displaying the location where the abnormality occurred and the car wash process. means, an input means for receiving an input operation, and upon detecting the occurrence of an abnormality based on a signal from the sensor, stopping the car washing operation in progress and causing the storage means to record the location where the abnormality has occurred and the car washing process; 2. A car wash machine comprising: control means for displaying on said display means a location where an abnormality has occurred and a car wash process to be stored in said storage means if a predetermined input operation is made.