JPH08119074A - Cleaning method for car washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent a breakage accident of a vehicle to be washed even when a jeep is determined incorrectly although the vehicle to be washed is a wagon car. CONSTITUTION: A sonic sensor detecting vehicle height of a vehicle to be washed is arranged on the front face of a car washing device main body, and a conveyor 3 is driven while a conveying distance of the vehicle to be washed is detected when a type of the vehicle to be washed is set as a jeep, and then, a top brush 12 is lowered, while if the sonic sensor detects that the height of the vehicle to be washed is equivalent to the height of a wagon car 5', it is checked whether the conveying distance is less than the conveying distance equivalence to the ceiling position of the jeep. When it is less than the conveying distance equivalence, the top brush 12 is lifted, and operation of the top brush 12 complying with the jeep is switched to the operation for the wagon car 5. Therefore, a breakage accident of the vehicle 5 to be washed by the top brush 12 can be prevented even when a type of vehicle is determined as a jeep incorrectly.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for cleaning a car wash machine for cleaning the upper surface of a vehicle to be cleaned with a top brush while moving the vehicle to be cleaned by a conveyor, and more particularly to a method for cleaning a wagon vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The conventional method for cleaning a wagon car and a jeep car by a car wash machine will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the vehicle 61 to be cleaned is moved in the direction of arrow F at a constant speed by the conveyor 61 and the upper surface of the vehicle 62 to be cleaned is cleaned by the top brush 63, as shown in FIG. 9, the vehicle 62 to be cleaned is a wagon. In the case of a vehicle, the ceiling height 62A of the vehicle 62 to be cleaned is detected in advance by the vehicle height detector 64 including a sonic sensor, and the top brush 63 held at the upper limit position is lowered at the timing when the detected tip of the ceiling 62A passes. Then, the ceiling 62A is cleaned, and as shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicle 62 to be cleaned is a jeep vehicle, the top brush 63 is lowered,
The front part 62B is washed, the rear end of the front part 62B and the tip position of the ceiling part 62A are detected by the vehicle height detector 64, and the upper limit of the top brush 63 is once exceeded when passing the detected rear end of the front part 63B. The ceiling 62A is cleaned by raising it to the position, holding it, and lowering it at the timing when the detected tip of the ceiling 62A passes.

[0004]

However, in the conventional cleaning method, when the jeep vehicle is erroneously designated even though the vehicle 62 to be cleaned is the wagon vehicle, the top brush 63 is lowered as shown in FIG. Let the top brush start cleaning
There is a problem that 63 is pressed against the front window portion 62C of the wagon that is being moved by the conveyor 61 and the front part of the wagon is damaged.

The present invention solves the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for cleaning a car wash machine that can prevent a vehicle accident to be damaged even if a jeep vehicle is erroneously designated as a vehicle to be washed even if it is a wagon vehicle.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method of cleaning a car wash according to the present invention is provided in a main body of a stationary car wash machine.
A conveyor for loading the vehicle to be washed into the car wash machine from the front and unloading it from the car wash machine to the rear is provided, and a rotary brush that rotates around a horizontal axis is attached to one end of the vertically swingable arm. A method of cleaning a car wash machine, in which a top brush is disposed and a top brush is used to clean an upper surface of a vehicle to be cleaned while moving the vehicle to be cleaned by the conveyor, wherein When the vehicle type of the vehicle to be cleaned is set to be a jeep vehicle, a vehicle height detecting means for detecting the height is provided, and the conveyor is driven while detecting the distance that the vehicle to be cleaned is conveyed, and the top brush is lowered. Then, when it is detected that the height of the vehicle to be cleaned detected by the vehicle height detection means is equivalent to that of a wagon vehicle, the transportation distance is equivalent to transportation to the ceiling position of the jeep vehicle. Verify less away, if less than the transport corresponding distance increases the top brush, it is characterized in that the switching operation of the top brush in accordance with the Jeep car behavior wagon.

[0007]

According to the above-mentioned cleaning method of the present invention, the conveyor is driven while detecting the distance that the vehicle to be cleaned is conveyed based on the setting that the vehicle to be cleaned is a jeep vehicle. When it is detected that the height of the vehicle to be cleaned detected by the vehicle height detecting means is the height equivalent to that of the wagon vehicle, the transportation distance is less than the transportation equivalent distance to the ceiling position of the jeep vehicle. If the distance is less than the transportable distance, the arm of the top brush is lifted, and then the operation of the top brush is switched to the operation of the wagon. Therefore, even if the vehicle to be cleaned is a wagon vehicle and a jeep vehicle is accidentally set, the lowered top brush is pressed by the conveyor to the vehicle to be cleaned, and the top brush is used to wash the vehicle to be cleaned. Accidents that are damaged are avoided.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a continuous car washing machine using the car washing machine cleaning method of the present invention. As shown in the figure, on the floor 1, a stationary car wash main body 2 formed in a gate shape, and a pair of left and right roller conveyors (vehicle transfer device) 3 that penetrates the car wash main body 2 from the front to reach the rear And are installed.
Further, an operation panel 4 (details of which will be described later) is provided on the front surface of the car wash main body 2, and a sonic sensor 8 for detecting the presence or absence of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned and the vehicle height is provided at the upper center of the front surface.

In the car wash machine body 2, as a cleaning means for the vehicle 5 to be cleaned, a pair of left and right cleaning side / rocker brushes 11 for cleaning lower side surfaces of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned and side surfaces of the front and rear wheels 6, A cleaning top brush 12 for cleaning the upper surface of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned, a pair of left and right side brushes 13 for cleaning the front surface, rear surface, and both side surfaces of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned, and an arch (not shown) for spraying cleaning water or detergent. And a top brush 14 for wax that applies wax to the upper surface of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned as wax applying means for the vehicle 5 to be cleaned.
And a pair of left and right wax side and rocker brushes 15 for applying wax to both side surfaces of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned and the side surface of the wheel 6, and an arch (not shown) for injecting a wax base agent, a liquid wax or a fluorine coating agent. Further, as a drying means of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned, a vertically movable top nozzle 16 for drying the upper surface of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned, and an air curtain provided between the top nozzle 16 and the rocker brush 15 for wax are provided. A sub-top nozzle 17 that can be raised and lowered,
A pair of left and right side nozzles 18 and the like provided behind the top nozzle 16 for drying both side surfaces of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned are provided.

A front slope 19 is provided on the starting end side of both roller conveyors 3 so that the vehicle to be cleaned 5 can be smoothly loaded.
Is installed, and a rear slope 20 for smoothly discharging the vehicle 5 to be cleaned is installed on the terminal side.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the operation panel 4, a car wash course selection switch 21 and special equipment for each vehicle type to be washed 5 are attached to the lower left half thereof as switches for inputting automatic car wash data. Vehicle type / equipment input switch 22, setting completion lamp 23, car wash course and vehicle type / equipment setting confirmation switch 24, car wash course and vehicle type / equipment setting correction switch 25 are provided, and the upper left half and In the right half, as a device for paying the car wash fee and a display device for confirming the amount, a prepaid card reader / writer 26, a coin insertion machine 27, a digital display device 28 for displaying the number of prepaid cards or the coin insertion amount.
Is provided. The above switch is composed of a panel switch, and a corresponding lamp is attached to the switch.

Each device of the operation panel 4 is connected to a control device 30 installed in the car wash machine body 2 (described later). An example of the structure of the cleaning top brush 12 and its drive system is shown in FIG. In addition, wax day top brush
14 has the same structure.

The top brush 12 has a brush 32 that rotates around a horizontal axis at one end of the arm 31 and a balancing weight 33 at the other end, and the brush 32 is centered on the rotation fulcrum X of the arm 31.
Is moved up and down to wash the upper surface of the vehicle 5 to be washed with the brush 32. The brush 32 is a weight of the arm 31.
Rotational force of a motor 34 mounted between the rotation fulcrum X and 33 is transmitted by a chain 36 stretched between a sprocket 35 fixed to the horizontal shaft of the brush 32 and rotated.

The top brush 12 is raised and lowered by supplying and discharging oil from the first and second oil tanks 37 and 38 to the cylinder 39. When the top brush 12 is raised, a changeover switch is used. Both the solenoid A of 40 and the solenoid B of the changeover switch 41 are turned off, and the first oil tank is passed from the compressor 42 through the silencer 43.
When air is supplied to 37, the oil in the first oil tank 37 is pressure-extruded to supply the oil to the cylinder 39, and when the oil is held (locking up and down), the solenoid A is turned on,
When it is further lowered, the solenoid A is turned off and the solenoid B is turned on to discharge the air in the first oil tank 37 from the exhaust nozzle 46 through the check valve 44 and the silencer 45, and the cylinder 39 to the first oil tank. Returning oil to 37. Further, when the solenoid A is turned on and the ascending / descending state is locked, a check valve 47 is provided to suck the outside air and lighten the movement of the cylinder 39 when the force pushing the top brush 12 upward acts. Further brush 32
The torque detection device 48 is provided. The torque detecting device 48 of the brush 32 detects torque by the current of the motor 34 that drives the brush 32, and detects the weight of the brush 32 and the brush 32.
The repulsion balance with the cleaning surface of the vehicle to be cleaned 5 due to the rotation of is detected. Further, a lower limit position detecting device 49 for detecting the lower limit position of the arm 31, an intermediate position detecting device 50 for detecting the (rotating) intermediate position of the arm 31, and an upper limit position detecting device 51 for detecting the upper limit position of the arm 31. Is provided. These position detecting devices 49 to 51 are composed of, for example, proximity sensors and photoelectric switches. Further, the torque detection signal of the torque detection device 48 and the position detection signals of the position detection devices 49 to 51 are input to the control device 30.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of the control system of the car wash machine of this embodiment. The car wash machine has a large control system, and the car wash machine body 2
The control device 30, the operation panel 4, the sonic sensor 8 and the position detection devices 49 to 51, which is a microcomputer having a built-in I / O interface unit 30a, a storage unit 30b for storing data and programs, and a control unit 30c. A sensor system 54 including a pulse encoder 53 of a motor (conveyor motor) 52 for driving the conveyor 3, a solenoid A of the conveyor motor 52 and a changeover switch 40, a solenoid B of a changeover switch 41, a rotation motor 34 of a brush 32, and the like. The control device 30 includes a drive system 55, and the control device 30 operates signals such as start and stop from the operation panel 4 and a sensor system.
The detection signal of 54 is input and stored, and the brushes 11 to 15 are controlled by controlling the drive system 55 according to the operation signal and the detection signal.
The nozzles 16 to 18 and the roller conveyor 3 are driven to control the operation of the entire car wash machine body 2.

Although the vehicle 5 to be cleaned is the wagon 5 ', instead of the switch 22A of the vehicle type / equipment input switch 22, the switch 22B of the vehicle type / equipment input switch 22 is used.
Is operated and the jeep wheel 5 "is set as the vehicle type by mistake, the control device 30 controls the conveyor 3 and the top brush.
The driving method of 12 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. It is assumed that the car wash course selection switch 21 on the operation panel 4 sets a course accompanied by washing of the vehicle 5 to be washed, and the control device 30 recognizes that the jeep vehicle 5 ″ is to be washed by the top brush 12.
Further, the top brush 12 is assumed to be at the upper limit position.
The method of driving the wax top brush 14 is also the same, and the description thereof is omitted.

First, a rotation drive signal is output to the conveyor motor 52 to move the vehicle 5 to be cleaned forward (step-1), and the pulse encoder 53 counts the number of pulses (count value K).
Is started (step-2). Then, the top brush 12
The brush 32 is rotated by outputting a rotation drive signal to the motor 34 (step-3), and constant torque control (described later) is executed so that the brush 32 comes into optimum contact with the top surface of the vehicle 5 to be cleaned (step). -4). By this operation, as shown in FIG. 1, the top brush 12 is lowered to the lower limit position.

Then, when the vehicle height of the vehicle to be cleaned 5 input from the sonic sensor 8 reaches a height corresponding to the vehicle height of the wagon vehicle 5 '(step-5), the pulse count value K is shown in FIG. Check if the distance is less than the equivalent transport distance C to the tip of the ceiling 5A of the jeep vehicle 5 "shown (step-
6) If the distance C is less than the transport equivalent distance, it is determined that the vehicle 5 to be cleaned is the wagon vehicle 5'and both the solenoids A and B are turned off to raise the brush 32 (step-
7) After that, the operation of the top brush is switched to the operation of the wagon vehicle 5 '. If the distance C is equal to or greater than the transport distance, the operation of the jeep vehicle 5 ″ is continued.

In the case of the wagon vehicle 5 ', from the time when the tip of the ceiling portion 5A is detected, the vehicle to be cleaned 5 advances and the count value K of the pulse is at the timing when the brush 32 descends to the tip of the ceiling portion 5A. When reached (step-8), brush 32
Performs constant torque control (described later) so that the vehicle optimally contacts the ceiling surface of the wagon vehicle 5 '(step-9). Subsequently, the vehicle 5 to be cleaned advances by the length of the ceiling portion 5A, the brush 32 reaches the rear end of the ceiling portion 5A (step-10), descends along the rear window portion 5D, and detects the lower limit position detecting device.
When 49 operates (step-11), both the solenoid A and the solenoid B are turned off to raise the brush 32 (step-12), and a stop signal is output to the motor 34 to stop the brush 32 (step-13). When the upper limit position detector 51 operates (step-14), the solenoid A is turned on to hold the position of the brush 32 (step-15), the count value K of the pulse is reset (step-16), and the process is ended. .

The constant torque control method will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. That confirms the torque detection signal of the torque detection device 48 (step -S1), if torque J is within a certain range (J _A ≦ J ≦ J _B), retains the solenoid A as an on (to lift lock ) (step -S2), the torque J reduced (J <J _A),
The solenoid A is turned off and the solenoid B is turned on to lower the brush 32 so that the brush 32 is pressed against the upper surface of the wagon 5 '(step-S3). When the torque increases (J _B <J), the brush 32 is removed. Brushes 32 with both solenoids A and B turned off so that they are separated from the upper surface of the wagon vehicle 5 '.
Is increased (step-S4).

By driving the conveyor 3 and the top brushes 12 and 14 by the control device 30, even if the vehicle 5 to be cleaned is a wagon vehicle 5 ', a jeep vehicle 5 "is erroneously designated. As shown in FIG. 1, the top brush 12
Before reaching the vehicle to be cleaned 5, the arm 31 is forcibly raised to the upper limit position. Therefore, it is possible to avoid an accident in which the vehicle to be cleaned 5 moving by the conveyor 3 is pressed against the top brush 12 lowered to the lower limit and the vehicle 5 to be cleaned is damaged by the top brush 12.

In this embodiment, the method for cleaning the top brush is applied to the continuous car washer, but it can also be applied to a car washer for cleaning the vehicle to be cleaned with the top brush while moving the car washer body.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the vehicle to be cleaned is a wagon vehicle, even if a jeep vehicle is set by mistake, the vehicle to be cleaned detected by the vehicle height detection means. When it is detected that the height of the vehicle is equivalent to that of a wagon vehicle, it is checked whether the distance that the vehicle to be cleaned is being conveyed by the conveyor is less than the equivalent distance to the ceiling position of the jeep vehicle. , If the distance is less than the equivalent distance for transportation, by raising the arm of the top brush, the top brush lowered to the lower limit is pressed against the vehicle to be washed that is being moved by the conveyor, avoiding damage to the vehicle to be washed by the top brush. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a locus diagram of a top brush at the time of cleaning a wagon car by a car washing machine using a car washing machine cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the car washing machine.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an operation panel of the car wash machine.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a structure of a top brush of the car wash machine and a drive system thereof.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system of the car wash machine.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart diagram of top brush control at the time of washing the wagon by the control device of the car washing machine.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of top brush control by the control device of the car wash machine.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a washing operation of the vehicle to be washed of the car washing machine.

FIG. 9 is a locus diagram of a top brush when cleaning a conventional wagon vehicle.

FIG. 10 is a locus diagram of a top brush when cleaning a conventional jeep vehicle.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Floor surface 2 Car wash machine body 3 Roller conveyor 4 Operation panel 5 Vehicle to be washed 5'Wagon vehicle 5 "Jeep vehicle 8 Sonic sensor 12 Top brush 21 Car wash course selection switch 22 Vehicle type / equipment input switch 22A Wagon vehicle input switch 22B Jeep Vehicle input switch 30 Control device 31 Arm 32 Brush 33 Weight 34 Rotary motor 37, 38 Oil tank 39 Cylinder 40, 41 Changeover switch 42 Compressor 48 Torque detection device 49 Lower limit position detection device 50 Middle position detection device (intermediate position detection device) 51 Upper limit position detector 52 Conveyor motor 53 Pulse encoder

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stationary car washer body is provided with a conveyor for loading a vehicle to be washed into the car wash body from the front and at the same time for carrying out the car wash body to the rear, and at one end of a vertically swingable arm, A method of cleaning a car washer in which a top brush formed by attaching a rotary brush rotating around a horizontal axis is disposed, and the top surface of the vehicle to be cleaned is cleaned by the top brush while moving the vehicle to be cleaned by the conveyor, A vehicle height detecting means for detecting the vehicle height of the vehicle to be washed is provided on the front surface of the car wash machine body, and when the vehicle type of the vehicle to be washed is set to be a jeep vehicle, the distance that the vehicle to be washed is conveyed is detected. While driving the conveyor while lowering the top brush and detecting that the height of the vehicle to be cleaned detected by the vehicle height detection means is the equivalent height of the wagon vehicle, Check if it is less than the distance equivalent to the transportation to the ceiling position of the jeep vehicle, and if it is less than the equivalent distance to be transported, raise the top brush and switch the operation of the top brush according to the jeep vehicle to the operation of the wagon vehicle. A method for cleaning a car washing machine, characterized by: