JPH04342644A - Locker brush device for car wash machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the locker brush of a car wash machine from catching a car body under washing. CONSTITUTION:A car wash machine body 1 is provided with a parallel quadruple link mechanism 17. A retaining plate 24 is fitted to the free end of the mechanism 17 and a locker brush 15 is fitted to the retaining plate 24 thereof. In addition, the free end of the second connection arm 26 of the mechanism 17 and the retaining plate 24 are so connected to each other as to be capable of free relative oscillation in a horizontal direction via a neutral position maintaining mechanism 27 having an elastic system. While a car wash machine is traveling, the retaining plate 24 oscillates relatively in a horizontal direction against the elastic force of the mechanism 27, depending upon the irregular surface of the outside of a car 52 and a wheel 53. At each corner 54a, 55a or the like of a tire housing 54 and a bumper 55, therefore, the locker brush 15 oscillates in a reverse direction relative to the travel direction of the car wash machine body 1, and escapes outside, thereby ensuring freedom from catching the section 54a, 55a or the like.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rocker brush device for a car wash, which is employed to operate a rocker brush in a car wash.

0002

[Prior Art] In conventional car wash machines, for example,
As seen in Publication No. 34917, a pair of left and right lower side cleaning brushes (rocker brushes) are attached to the main body of the car wash machine via an arm, and a driving motor is provided on the arm. They are constructed so that they can move toward and away from each other.

As shown in FIG. 11, a rocker brush 60
is rotated, the cylinder device 61 is extended, and the arm 62 is rotated to bring the rocker brush 60 into contact with the lower part of the outer side of the automobile 63 and the wheels 64. In this state,
The car wash machine 65 is run. Thereby, the rocker brush 60 cleans the lower portions of both outer sides of the vehicle body, including the wheels 64.

0004

However, in the conventional type described above, when the car wash machine 65 is running, the rocker brush 60 tends to get caught in the corner part 67 of the bumper 66, the corner part 69 of the tire house 68, etc. If the brush 60 is caught, there is a problem in that the arm 62 is pulled and bent or the rocker brush 60 is damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a rocker brush device for a car wash machine in which the rocker brush does not get caught on the car body during washing.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a car wash machine main body with a pair of left and right parallel quadruple link mechanisms and an actuating device that can freely rotate in the horizontal direction. A retaining plate is provided at each free end of the continuous link mechanism, and a rocker brush and a rotating device are provided on these retaining plates, and the free end of one connecting arm of each parallel four-link mechanism and the above-mentioned retaining plate are elastically utilized. They are connected to each other so that they can swing relative to each other in the horizontal direction via a neutrality maintaining mechanism.

[0007]

[Operation] With the above structure, the rotating device is operated to rotate the rocker brush. Then, the actuating device is actuated to rotate the parallel four-link mechanism and move the pair of left and right holding plates closer to each other. As a result, the rocker brush comes into contact with the lower portions of both outer sides of the vehicle and the wheels. In this state, the car washer is run to perform cleaning using the rocker brush.

[0008] While the car wash main body is running, the holding plate relatively swings in the horizontal direction against the elastic force of the neutral maintenance mechanism, depending on the uneven shape of both outer surfaces of the automobile and the outer surfaces of the wheels. As a result, at the corners of bumpers and tire houses, the rocker brushes swing horizontally relative to each other in the direction opposite to the running direction of the car wash machine and escape outwards, so the rocker brushes do not get caught. .

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when viewed from the front, the gate-shaped car wash machine main body 1 is placed on a rail 3 via a plurality of wheels 2, and a traveling drive device (not shown) is activated. This allows it to travel freely back and forth on a fixed route.

The car wash main body 1 includes a first wash water arch 4, a first wax arch 5, a second wash water arch 6, a second wax arch 7, and a detergent arch 8 arranged in this order. A top nozzle 9 and a side nozzle 10 for drying are provided at the first washing water arch 4, and a top brush 11 and a side brush 12 are attached via swingable arms 13 and 14, respectively. ing.

A pair of left and right rocker brushes 15 are provided at the lower portions of both sides of the car wash main body 1 so as to be able to move toward and away from each other. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of left and right parallel quadruple link mechanisms 17 are provided, and the base ends of these parallel quadruple link mechanisms 17 are connected to the car wash machine main body 1 side via fixtures 18, respectively. .

The four-parallel link mechanism 17 is horizontally rotatable, and a cylinder device 21 is provided on the side of the car wash machine main body 1 as an example of an actuating device for rotating the four-parallel link mechanism 17. . The tip of the piston rod 22 of the cylinder device 21 is connected to the intermediate portion of the first connecting arm 25 of the parallel quadruple link mechanism 17.

A holding plate 24 is provided at each free end of the parallel quadruple link mechanism 17. That is, the distal ends of these holding plates 24 are bent to become one step lower, and the free ends of the first connecting arms 25 of the parallel four-link mechanism 17 are connected so as to be horizontally rotatable. Further, the free end of the second connecting arm 26 of the parallel four-link mechanism 17 is connected to the holding plate 24 via a neutrality maintaining mechanism 27 that utilizes elasticity so as to be relatively swingable in the horizontal direction.

An example of the neutrality maintaining mechanism 27 is as follows. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a swing plate 28 is provided at the outer end of the holding plate 24, and a horizontal groove is provided at the tip of the swing plate 28 from the tip toward the holding plate 24. A notch 29 is formed. This notch 29
The free end of the second connecting arm 26 passes through the free end of the second connecting arm 26, and a pair of front and rear holders 30 that can freely come into contact with and separate from the swing plate 28 are attached to the free end of the second connecting arm 26. It is fitted and slidably mounted along the second connecting arm 26. These holders 30 are made by dividing a cylindrical body into two in the vertical direction, and each outer peripheral surface is in contact with the front and rear surfaces of the rocking plate 28. Holder 3
An annular fixing member 31 is fitted onto and fixed to the front and rear of the second connecting arm 26, respectively. These fixtures 3
1 and the holder 30, a coil spring 32 is fitted onto the second connecting arm 26 so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the second connecting arm 26. A magnet 33 is provided at the tip of the swing plate 28, and a magnetic proximity switch 34 facing the front and rear of the magnet 33 is provided on the fixture 31. These magnetic proximity switches 34
is a control unit (not shown) that controls the running of the car wash machine main body 1;
It is connected to the.

As shown in FIG. 4, a support plate 37 is attached to the upper surface of the holding plate 24 to support both ends of a connecting shaft 36 provided in the left-right direction, and a box is provided above the connecting shaft 36. A rocking body 38 having a shape is provided, and connecting plates 39 are attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate of the rocking body 38, and are fitted onto both ends of the connecting shaft 36. As a result, the rocking body 38 faces each other via the pair of left and right parallel quadruple link mechanisms 17 and the holding plate 24, and is swingably provided around the connecting shaft 36.

An L-shaped connecting plate 40 is attached to the outer end of the lower surface of the rocking body 38, and the rocking body 38 is attached to the connecting plate 40.
A piston rod 42 of a cylinder device 41 that swings is connected. The main body of the cylinder device 41 is a mounting plate 59
It is provided on the retaining plate 24 side via.

A rotating shaft (vertical shaft) 44 is attached to the lower part of the swinging body 38 and is rotatable around a rotating shaft center 43 that is orthogonal to the connecting shaft 36 . This rotating shaft 44 is fitted into a housing 45 attached to the bottom plate of the rocking body 38 and supported by a bearing 46 . The upper end of the rotating shaft 44 penetrates inside the rocking body 38, and a sprocket 47 is provided at the upper end.

A rocker brush 1 is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft 44.
5 brush shafts 48 are integrally attached. As shown in FIG. 2, these rocker brushes 15 are tilted at an angle α toward the center of the car wash main body 1 by tilting the lower part of the brush shaft 48.

An electric motor 49, which is an example of a rotating device, is provided on the upper plate of the swinging body 38. The drive shaft of this electric motor 49 penetrates inside the rocking body 38, and a sprocket 50 is provided at the lower end. Each of the above sprockets 47, 50
are interlocked and connected by a chain 51. 52 indicates an automobile, 53 indicates wheels, 54 indicates a tire house, and 55 indicates a bumper. 56 indicates an operation panel.

The operation of the above configuration will be explained below. In the above embodiment, while the car 52 is stopped and the car wash machine main body 1 is running, the brushes 11, 12, and 15 are brought into contact and separated, the washing water is supplied via the washing water arches 4 and 6, and the wax arch The desired car wash can be carried out by appropriately combining wax supply through the detergent arches 5 and 7 and detergent supply through the detergent arch 8.

At this time, the rocker brush 15 operates as described below to perform cleaning. That is, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.
is rotated around the rotation axis 43. Then, the piston rod 22 of the cylinder device 21 is extended, the parallel four-link mechanism 17 is rotated, and the pair of left and right holding plates 24 are moved inwardly toward each other. At this time, the swing plate 28 provided on the holding plate 24 is rotated by the coil spring 3 of the neutral maintenance mechanism 27.
2 applies an elastic force from the front and back directions to maintain the neutral position. Therefore, the holding plate 24 moves inward without disturbing its posture, and the rocker brush 15 comes into contact with the lower part of both outer sides of the automobile 52 and the outer side of the wheel 53. The car wash machine main body 1 is run in this state.

While the car wash main body 1 is running, the holding plate 24 moves against the elastic force of the coil spring 32 of the neutral maintenance mechanism 27, depending on the uneven shape of the lower part of both outer surfaces of the automobile 52 and the outer surface of the wheel 53. , relative to each other in the horizontal direction centering on the connecting portion 57 between the first connecting arm 25 and the holding plate 24. As a result, as shown in the virtual line in FIG. 9, the tire house 5
4, the corner 55a of the bumper 55, etc., the rocker brush 15 swings horizontally relative to the direction opposite to the running direction 58 of the car wash machine body 1 and escapes outward, so the rocker brush 15 gets caught. Never.

[0023] Also, in the unlikely event that the rocker brush 1
5 gets caught in the gap between the door of the car 52 or the gap between the hubcap and rim of the wheel 53, as shown in Fig. 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, as the car wash main body 1 moves, the holding plate 24 relatively oscillates, and the magnet 33 provided at the tip of the oscillating plate 28 approaches one of the magnetic proximity switches 34. , one magnetic proximity switch 34 is turned on, and the car wash machine main body 1 is brought to an emergency stop. This avoids damage to the rocker brush device and the vehicle 52.

If the car 52 is extremely dirty, turn on the car wash process switch on the operation panel 56 and start the desired car wash. Then, the car wash machine main body 1 moves at a slight speed, and the cylinder device 4 moves based on the car wash process.
One piston rod 42 expands and contracts, and the swing plate 28 swings in the front-rear direction at a set angle via the connecting shaft 36. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, since the rocker brush 15 swings around the connecting shaft 36, the scraping direction of the rocker brush 15 changes, resulting in strong cleaning power.

In the above embodiment, the parallel quadruple link mechanism 17
The free end of the first connecting arm 25 is directly connected to the holding plate 24, and the free end of the second connecting arm 26 is connected to the holding plate 24 via a neutrality maintaining mechanism 27. However, in this case, the free end of the first connecting arm 25 is connected to the holding plate 24 via the neutral maintenance mechanism 27, and the free end of the second connecting arm 26 is directly connected to the holding plate 24. Good too.

In the above embodiment, the coil spring 32 is used for the neutrality maintaining mechanism 27, but this may be an elastic body such as a plate spring or rubber. Further, in the above embodiment, the cylinder device 21 is used as an example of the actuating device, but an electric motor may be used instead. Further, in the above embodiment, the electric motor 49 is used as an example of the rotating device, but this may also be an air motor.

In the above embodiment, the rocker brushes 1 on both sides
Since the lower portions of the car wash machine body 1 are inclined at an angle α toward the center of the car wash machine main body 1, they can be brought into close contact along the slopes of the lower portions of both outer sides of the car body. However, it may not be inclined.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the retaining plate to which the rocker brush is attached is connected to the free end of the parallel quadruple link mechanism via the neutrality maintaining mechanism that utilizes elasticity. The rocker brush horizontally swings in a direction opposite to the running direction of the car wash machine and escapes outward, depending on the uneven shape of the lower portions of both outer surfaces of the automobile and the outer surfaces of the wheels.

[0029] Therefore, the rocker brush does not get caught in the corners of the bumper or the tire house, and the rocker brush can perform smooth cleaning without applying excessive force to the rocker brush device or the outer surface of the vehicle. can.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a rocker brush device showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a BB arrow view in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of main parts in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the neutrality maintaining mechanism in the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the neutrality maintaining mechanism in the same embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the car wash machine in the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the usage state of the rocker brush device in the same embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing the operation of the rocker brush in the same embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the operation of the neutrality maintaining mechanism in the same embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a conventional rocker brush device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Car wash machine main body 15 Rocker brush 17 Parallel quadruple link mechanism 21 Cylinder device (actuating device) 24 Holding plate 26 Second connecting arm (connecting arm) 27
Neutral maintenance mechanism 49 Electric motor (rotating device)

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A car wash machine main body is provided with a pair of left and right parallel quadruple link mechanisms and an actuating device that are rotatable in the horizontal direction, and a holding plate is provided at each free end of the parallel quadruple link mechanisms,
A rocker brush and a rotating device are provided on these holding plates, and the free end of one connecting arm of each parallel quadruple link mechanism and the holding plate are moved relative to each other in the horizontal direction via a neutrality maintaining mechanism using elasticity. A rocker brush device for a car wash machine characterized by being movably connected.