JPH055699B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION (1) Industrial Field of Application The present invention relates to a lifting/lowering operating device for a processing device that performs cleaning treatment on the upper surface of a vehicle body in a vehicle body cleaning device.

(2) Conventional technology Conventionally, in a vehicle body cleaning device, cleaning processes such as brushing the top surface of the vehicle body with a rotating brush, washing with high-pressure water jetting from a shower nozzle, and drying with a drying nozzle are performed. They used processing equipment including a top brush, a top shower nozzle, and a top drying nozzle, respectively. A cylinder is used to move the processing device up and down so as to follow the shape of the top surface of the vehicle.

The processing device of the vehicle body cleaning device includes:
The one described in Utility Model Publication No. 57-12382 is known. The vehicle body cleaning device has a stylus and a flexible guide roller in contact with the top surface of the vehicle body to maintain a constant distance between the top surface drying nozzle and the top surface of the vehicle body.

It is also known to control the drive of the cylinder to maintain a constant distance between the upper surface drying nozzle and the upper surface of the vehicle body without contacting the vehicle body.

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the method using the stylus and the flexible guide roller has the problem that it comes into contact with the top surface of the vehicle body, which may cause damage to the vehicle body. .

Moreover, what controls the drive of the cylinder is
When the distance between the upper surface drying nozzle as a treatment device and the upper surface of the vehicle body increases, the cylinder is driven so that the treatment device descends, and when the distance decreases, the cylinder is driven so that the treatment device rises. . Therefore, even if the upper surface of the vehicle body is relatively horizontal, the processing device repeatedly rises and descends to follow the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle body in a wavy manner. Therefore, it is difficult to maintain a constant distance between the processing device and the top surface of the vehicle body, and the processing device is raised and lowered more frequently than necessary, reducing the durability of its elevating drive system. In particular, when the cylinder is powered by pressurized air, the pressurized air that operates the cylinder is repeatedly supplied and discharged every time the processing device repeatedly rises and falls as described above. The noise caused by the exhaust becomes a major problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to always keep the distance between the processing device and the upper surface of the vehicle body accurately and constant without contacting the vehicle body. An object of the present invention is to provide a lifting/lowering operating device for a processing device in a vehicle body cleaning device that does not cause problems such as exhaust noise.

B. Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a portal frame with a processing device for cleaning the upper surface of a vehicle body that can be raised and lowered, and Processing in a vehicle body cleaning device that supports a cylinder that uses compressed air as power to drive the processing device up and down, and controls the operation of the cylinder to move the processing device up and down so as to follow the shape of the top surface of the vehicle body. In the lifting/lowering operation device of the device, a stopping device is provided on the cylinder and can stop the piston rod of the cylinder at an arbitrary operating position, and the processing device is positioned at an appropriate position suitable for cleaning processing with respect to the upper surface of the vehicle body. a non-contact type sensor for detecting a certain condition, and a control means for controlling the operation of the stopping device based on the output of the sensor, and the processing device is located at the proper position in at least a part of the upper surface of the vehicle body. The piston rod is characterized in that the operation of the stopping device continues to hold the piston rod in a stopped state when the top surface of the vehicle body is substantially horizontal.

Here, the cleaning process refers to processes such as brushing, washing with water, and drying that are performed when washing the vehicle body.

(2) Effect According to the above configuration, when the processing device is moved up and down to follow the shape of the top surface of the car body, the processing device is at a position suitable for cleaning processing with respect to the top surface of the car body, and the top surface of the car body at that time is approximately horizontal. If so, the stopping device can continue to operate and hold the piston rod in a stopped state, so while the stopping device is operating, the processing device and the top surface of the car body should be kept at a constant distance suitable for the cleaning process. This eliminates the risk of the cylinder repeatedly activating and deactivating.
As a result, the number of times the pressurized air is pumped out to operate the cylinder is significantly reduced.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention using a top drying nozzle for performing drying processing as a processing device will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of essential parts of one embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, wheels 8, 8 are pivotally supported on the gate-shaped frame 1 so as to be able to reciprocate along running rails 7, 7. Further, blowers 9, 9 are provided on both upper sides of the gate-shaped frame 1, respectively. A top drying nozzle 2 as a processing device is connected to the tips of the blower pipes 10, 10 connected to the discharge ports of the blowers 9, 9.

Support rods 11 are provided at both left and right ends of the drying nozzle 2,
11 are provided. Elevating members 12, 13 are fixed to the tips of the support rods 11, 11, and are movable up and down along guide members 3, 3 provided on both sides of the gate-shaped frame 1.

A cable 1 is provided at the center of the upper end of the upper surface drying nozzle 2.
4 and 14 are fixed at one end. Said cable 1
4 and 14 pass through guide pulleys 15, 15, 16, and 16 which are pivotally supported on the gate-shaped frame 1, and then are suspended to suspend movable pulleys 17 and 17, and the other end is fixed to the gate-shaped frame 1. . The movable pulley 17,1
7 is pivotally supported by a movable pulley frame 18, and the lower end of the movable pulley frame 18 is fixed to the upper end of the piston rod 5 of the cylinder 4 which is pivotally supported by the portal frame 1. A stopping device 6, which will be described later, is provided at the upper end of the cylinder 4 to stop the piston rod 5.

The elevating members 12 and 13 are pivoted at the lower portions of the elevating members 12 and 13 so as to be able to swing in the direction of movement of the gate-shaped frame 1 (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1) using lower guide rollers 19 and 19 as fulcrums. It is engaged with the guide members 3,3. Also, one elevating member 12
A swinging arm 20 is pivotally supported on the upper part of the swinging arm 20, and an upper guide roller 21 is pivotally supported at the tip of the swinging arm 20. Further, a neutral spring 22 is stretched between the elevating member 12 and the swinging arm 20. Further, a limit switch 23 is provided on the upper part of the other lifting member 13, which is activated when the lifting members 12 and 13 swing beyond a predetermined angle, and outputs a signal to stop the movement of the portal frame 1. . A guide roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the actuator 24 of the limit switch 23.

A sensor is provided on the lifting member 12 side of the support rods 11, 11, and the sensor is connected to a photoelectric switch K ₁ , which is provided at a symmetrical position below the upper surface drying nozzle 2.
K ₂ and a photoelectric switch K provided at the lower center thereof. On _the elevating member ₁₃ side, light sources L ₁ ,
L ₂ and L are provided.

Further, a cylinder fall prevention fitting 26 is provided around the cylinder 4 and extends from the portal frame 1 with a certain distance. A stopper 27 is provided. And gate frame 1
There is a stopper 2 that limits the rise of the movable pulley frame 18.
8 is provided. Further, a solenoid valve 42 is connected to the stop device 6, and a check valve 46 with a fixed throttle is connected to the cylinder 4.
The pressurized containers 45 are respectively connected to check valves 46 with fixed throttles, which are connected to air and hydraulic circuits to be described later.

Furthermore, side drying nozzles 29, 29 are provided on both sides of the portal frame, and rotating rollers 30, 30 are provided at the center of the lower part of the top drying nozzle 2, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stopping device 6 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A ring-shaped brake shoe 31 is provided on the piston rod 5, and the upper part of a brake arm 32 is pressed against this brake shoe 31. The upper part of the brake arm 32 is supported between the brake shoe 31 and the casing of the stop device 6 so as to be swingable in the radial direction of the piston rod 5. A roller 33 is pivotally supported at the lower part of the brake arm 32, and the roller 33 is supported by the brake spring 3.
Brake piston 35 urged upward by 4
is pressed inward by the tapered portion ₃₅₁ .
Since the brake shoe 31 is pressed against the piston rod 5 by the brake arm 32, the piston rod 5 is stopped unless pressurized air from the electromagnetic valve 42 is supplied to the air supply port 36. Then, when pressurized air is supplied, the brake piston 35 is pushed down against the urging force of the brake spring 34, and the roller 33 moves outward. Therefore, the brake arm 32 no longer presses the brake shoe 31 against the piston rod 5, so the piston rod 5 can operate freely.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the air and hydraulic circuits. A pipe 40 connected to a pressurized air source is connected to a pressure reducing valve 41 and a three-way solenoid valve 42 to adjust the pressure.
It is connected to the air supply port 36 of the stop device 6. Further, the pipe 40 is also connected to the upper part of the pressurized container 45 via a pressure reducing valve 43 and a three-way solenoid valve 44 . The hydraulic oil contained in the pressurized container 45 is supplied to the cylinder 4 via a check valve 46 with a fixed throttle. The check valve 46 with a fixed throttle is connected to the cylinder 4
The check valve is opened when it contracts, and closed when it extends.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the connection between a photoelectric switch as a sensor and a coil of an electromagnetic valve, and the control circuit shown in this diagram controls the stop device based on the outputs of the sensors K, K ₁ and K _2. 6 constitutes a control means 60 of the present invention that controls the operation of
As will be described later, a processing device (upper surface drying nozzle 2 in the illustrated example) is installed in at least a part of the upper surface of the vehicle body (in the illustrated example, the area covering the front and rear window glass surfaces).
is in the proper position for processing and the top surface of the vehicle body is approximately horizontal (in the illustrated example, when passing through the ceiling surface),
The operation of the stop device 6 continues to hold the piston rod 5 in a stopped state. The coil 44C of the solenoid valve 44 includes a photoelectric switch.
A contact K ₁ S, which opens when the light of K ₁ is interrupted, and a contact RAS, which closes when the drying process is restored, are connected. Further, the coil 42C of the solenoid valve 42
, a contact KS that closes when the light from photoelectric switch K is interrupted, a contact K ₂ S that opens when the light from photoelectric switch K ₂ is interrupted, and a contact RBS that closes when the drying process is going are connected. has been done. And between the contact K ₁ S and the coil 44C, and between the contact K ₂ S and the contact
The KSs are connected.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the position of the upper surface drying nozzle 2 when performing a drying process when restoring the gate-shaped frame 1. The gate-shaped frame 1 moves from the position indicated by A in the figure to B.
The vehicle travels along the traveling frames 7, 7 to the position shown by. At this time, brushing treatment and water washing treatment are performed. Then, at the position indicated by B, the contact point
Since the RAS is closed and the light from the light source _L1 is passing through the photoelectric switch _K1 , the contact _K1S is also closed, so current flows through the coil 44C and the solenoid valve 44 is opened.
Therefore, the upper surface drying nozzle is stopped by the stopper 27 due to its own weight.
The lower limit position B is lowered from the upper limit position A determined by the stopper 28 to the lower limit position B determined by the stopper 28. At this time, since the check valve of the fixed throttle check valve 46 is closed, the hydraulic oil from the cylinder 4 is regulated by the fixed throttle and returns to the pressurized container 45. Therefore, the upper surface drying nozzle 2 descends at a slow speed. Move the gate-shaped frame 1 from the position indicated by B in the direction of the arrow,
When the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is located at C, the light from the light source _L1 corresponding to the photoelectric switch _K1 is blocked by the vehicle, so the contact _K1S is opened and no current flows through the coil 44C. Therefore, the solenoid valve 44 is opened, the cylinder 4 is pressurized, and the upper surface drying nozzle is raised. At this time, the check valve of the fixed throttle check valve 46 is opened. Therefore, the upper surface drying nozzle 2 rises at a fast speed. When the top drying nozzle 2 reaches position N, the light from the light source L corresponding to the photoelectric switch K is blocked by the vehicle, and the light from the light source _L1 corresponding to the photoelectric switch _K1 passes through, so the contact KS closes. , contact K ₁ S is also closed, coil 4
Current flows through 2C and 44C. Therefore, the solenoid valves 42, 44 are energized and the piston rod 5 is stopped by the stop device 6, so that the upper drying nozzle is kept in a position suitable for the drying process. When the top drying nozzle 2 reaches position E, the light from the light source L corresponding to the photoelectric switch K passes through, so the contact KS opens and no current flows through the coil 42C. Therefore, the electromagnetic valve 42 is opened, the stoppage of the piston rod 5 by the stop device 6 is released, and the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is lowered to the lower limit position. When the portal frame 1 reaches the position indicated by A, the contact RAS opens and no current flows through the coil 44C. Therefore, the solenoid valve 44 is opened, the cylinder 4 is pressurized, and the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is raised to the upper limit position.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the position of the upper surface drying nozzle when the drying process is performed by returning the portal frame.
The gate-shaped frame 1 travels from a position indicated by C to a position indicated by D. At this time, the contact RBS is closed and the light from the light source _L2 corresponding to the photoelectric switch _K2 passes through, so the contact _K2S is also closed and current flows through the coil 44C. Therefore, the solenoid valve 44 is excited,
The upper surface drying nozzle 2 descends from the upper limit position G to the lower limit position H. When the top drying nozzle 2 reaches the position, the light from the light source _L2 corresponding to the photoelectric switch _K2 is blocked by the vehicle, so the contact _K2S opens and no current flows through the coil 44C. Therefore, the solenoid valve 44 is opened, the cylinder is pressurized, and the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is raised. And top drying nozzle 2
When the light source L corresponding to the photoelectric switch K reaches position N, the light from the light source L corresponding to the photoelectric switch K is blocked by the vehicle, and the photoelectric switch
The light from light source L ₂ corresponding to K ₂ passes through, so the contact point
KS is closed, contact K ₂ S is also closed, coil 42C, 4
Current flows through 4C. Therefore, the solenoid valves 42, 4
4 and the piston rod 5 is stopped by the stop device 6, so that the top drying nozzle 2 is kept in a position suitable for the drying process. When the top drying nozzle 2 reaches the position, the light from the light source L corresponding to the photoelectric switch K passes through, so the contact KS opens and no current flows through the coil 42C. Therefore, the solenoid valve 42 is opened, the stoppage of the piston rod 5 by the stop device 6 is released, and the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is lowered to the lower limit position O. And gate frame 1
When the upper surface drying nozzle 2 reaches the position indicated by D, the ultrasonic detection device 50 provided on the gate-shaped frame 1 detects the rearmost part of the vehicle. Therefore, the traveling direction of the gate-shaped frame 1 changes from going forward to going backward. In the case of going back, the same operation as in the case of FIG. 6 described above is performed.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the embodiment of the present invention described above. In step _S1 , it is determined whether or not drying processing is to be performed. If it is a drying process, step S ₃
Otherwise, proceed to step _S2 to perform other processing. At step S ₃ , if it is a go-around, step
In _S4 , if it is an outbound trip, a determination is made to proceed to step _S10 . If the light from the light source _L1 corresponding to the photoelectric switch _K1 is blocked in step _S4 , the process proceeds to step _S5 .
If it has passed, proceed to step _S6 . In step _S5 , the upper drying nozzle is raised. Step S ₆
If the light from the light source corresponding to the photoelectric switch K is blocked, the process proceeds to step _S7 , and if it passes, the process proceeds to step _S8 . In step _S7 , the piston rod 5 is stopped by the stopping device 6. In step _S8 , the top drying nozzle 2 is lowered. Then, if it is determined in step _S9 that the process is not finished, the step
Returning to _S4 , the operations described above are repeated. In addition, in the case of going out, in step _S10 , the photoelectric switch _K2 is turned on.
The only difference from the go-around case is that it is determined whether the light from the light source _L2 corresponding to the light source L2 is blocked or passed, and steps _S11 to
_S15 is similar to steps _S5 to _S9 .

Next, effects specific to the above-described embodiment of the present invention will be described.

According to the embodiment of the invention described above, the lifting member 1
A limit switch 23 is provided which is activated when the gates 2 and 13 swing beyond a predetermined angle and outputs a signal to stop the portal frame 1 from traveling. Therefore, in the event that a photoelectric switch, air or hydraulic circuit or the like malfunctions, the upper surface drying nozzle 2 is prevented from coming into contact with the vehicle, together with the rotating rollers 30, 30. Therefore, there is no risk of damaging the vehicle body.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described in the claims. Is possible. For example, although a top drying nozzle is used as the processing device, a top brush or a top shower nozzle may also be used. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to cases in which the gate-shaped frame is fixed and the vehicle is driven instead of running the gate-shaped frame.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a stopping device that is provided on a cylinder that drives a processing device up and down and that can stop the piston rod of the cylinder at an arbitrary operating position, and A non-contact sensor for detecting whether the processing device is at an appropriate position suitable for cleaning processing, and a control means for controlling the operation of the stopping device based on the output of the sensor, When moving up and down to follow the shape, if the processing device is in a position suitable for cleaning with respect to the top surface of the car body, and if the top surface of the car body at that time is approximately horizontal, the operation of the stop device will continue and the piston rod will stop. Since the stop device is kept in this state, it is possible to maintain a constant distance between the processing device and the top surface of the car body while the stop device is in operation, which is suitable for the cleaning process, and there is no risk of damaging the surface of the car body. Of course, there is no need to worry about the cylinder repeating activation and deactivation inadvertently, and the number of times the pressurized air that operates the cylinder is exhausted can be significantly reduced, effectively reducing the noise caused by the exhaust. Furthermore, the frequency of lifting and lowering the processing apparatus can be reduced as much as possible, contributing to improved durability of the lifting and lowering drive system.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a stop device, and FIG. 4 is an air and hydraulic circuit. Figure 5 shows the connection between the photoelectric switch as a sensor and the coil of the solenoid valve, and Figure 6 shows the position of the top drying nozzle when drying is performed by going back with the portal frame. 7 is a diagram showing the position of the upper surface drying nozzle when the drying process is performed by reciprocating the portal frame, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment. 1...Gate-shaped frame, 2...Top surface drying nozzle,
3... Guide member, 4... Cylinder, 5... Piston rod, 6... Stop device, 60... Control means,
K, K ₁ , K ₂ ... photoelectric switch, L, L ₁ , L ₂ ...
light source.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A processing device 2 for cleaning the upper surface of a vehicle body is provided on a gate-shaped frame 1 so as to be movable up and down,
A vehicle supporting a cylinder 4 that drives the processing device 2 up and down using pressurized air as motive power, and controlling the operation of the cylinder 4 to move the processing device 2 up and down so as to follow the top surface shape of the vehicle body. In the lifting/lowering operation device for a processing device in a car body washing device, the cylinder 4 is provided with a
a stop device 6 capable of stopping the piston rod 5 at any operating position; and a non-contact sensor K for detecting that the processing device 2 is at an appropriate position suitable for cleaning processing with respect to the upper surface of the vehicle body. ,K ₁ ,
K ₂ and a control means 60 for controlling the operation of the stopping device 6 based on the outputs of the sensors K, K ₁ and K ₂ , and the processing device 2 is located at the proper position in at least a part of the upper surface of the vehicle body. Lifting and lowering of a processing device in a vehicle body cleaning device, characterized in that when the top surface of the vehicle body is located at the top of the vehicle and the top surface of the vehicle body is approximately horizontal, the stop device 6 is activated to hold the piston rod 5 in a stopped state. Actuation device.