JPH0860631A - Washing vehicle for road marks - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To easily and rapidly wash a road sign or the like in a safe environment. CONSTITUTION: A freely extensible movable arm 12 provided with a washing nozzle 22 at the front end thereof, tanks 13, 14 containing washing liquid or water, a pumping device 15 transferring the washing liquid or water to the washing nozzle 22 to jet it, an electric lighting board 16 alarming so as not to collide with another vehicle approaching from the rear side, are mounted on a body 11. An operating panel 31 instructing motions relating to the washing of road signs or the like 90 is installed within the vehicle chamber.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to road signs, signal lights,
The present invention relates to a vehicle for washing road signs and the like for washing intersection mirrors and the like, as well as advertising signs that vehicles can approach.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Although a large number of road signs and the like are installed, conventionally there is no such thing as a washing car for road signs, and road signs and the like are hardly washed. However, because road signs and the like are dirty with soot from exhaust gas, some are difficult to see from a distance, which may cause traffic problems. In particular, road signs in cold regions are often soiled during the snowmelt season. In order to wash the dirt on the road signs and the like, it is conceivable that a worker manually uses a ladder car or a gondola car to clean the road signs.

[0003]

The conventional means for cleaning road signs and the like is as described above, but it requires labor and time, the working environment is extremely poor, and there is a risk of a worker dropping, and the vehicle from the rear side may be damaged. If there is a collision, there is a problem that human life is at risk.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and eliminates dangerous and labor-intensive work in a bad working environment, and allows safe, easy work, and easy and quick cleaning in a relatively good environment. The purpose is to obtain a washing car for road signs.

[0005]

A vehicle for cleaning a road sign or the like according to the present invention accommodates a flexible liquid arm having a cleaning nozzle for cleaning a road sign or the like attached to a tip thereof, and a cleaning liquid or water. A tank, a pump device for sending the cleaning liquid or water to the cleaning nozzle and ejecting the cleaning liquid, and a warning means for warning not to collide with other vehicles approaching from the rear are mounted on the vehicle body, and the road signs and the like are washed. The operation panel for instructing operations related to is installed in the vehicle compartment.

[0006]

The vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to the present invention is driven to stop at a proper position in front of the road sign or the like to be washed, and the operation panel in the vehicle compartment is operated to extend the movable arm to make the tip end. When the cleaning nozzle of the section is brought close to the road sign or the like and the cleaning liquid or water is ejected from the cleaning nozzle by the pump device, the ejected cleaning liquid or water cleans the road sign or the like. The warning means warns against collision with another vehicle approaching from behind. After the cleaning is completed, the movable arm is folded to move.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B show a side view during work, FIG. 1B shows a rear view during work, and FIG. 2 shows a road car according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the tip of the movable arm. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a vehicle body of the washing car for road signs and the like.
A movable arm 12, a pump device 15, a cleaning liquid tank 13, a water tank 14, and a lightning plate 1 which is a collision warning means are provided on the upper surface of 1.
6 is mounted. Outriggers 19 are provided on both sides of the vehicle body 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a cleaning brush 21 and a cleaning nozzle 22 are provided at the tip of the movable arm 12. Further, in front of the driver's seat or the passenger's seat in the vehicle compartment, an operation panel 31 for remotely controlling cleaning-related work is provided, and an illuminator 37 is provided in the vehicle compartment.

If the movable arm 12 is extended as shown in FIG. 1, the movable arm 12 can reach a high road sign 90 or the like if it is extended, and if it is bent as shown in FIG. Is formed. In addition, the movable arm 1
The reference numeral 2 has a necessary joint such as an arm of an industrial robot so that the cleaning brush 21 and the cleaning nozzle 22 can be brought close to and approach a road sign 90 to be cleaned accurately and quickly. The movable arm 12 may be driven by an appropriate method such as an electric method or a hydraulic method having a servo function.

In FIG. 1, the pump device 15 sends the cleaning liquid or water in the cleaning liquid tank 13 or the water tank 14 to the cleaning nozzle 22. In order to warn a vehicle approaching from the rear from the rear, this vehicle is a washing car such as a road sign, or because it is in the process of stopping because it is stopped, a large letter or mark is displayed in red, It is clearly displayed in a color such as yellow. Outrigger 19
In order to prevent the vehicle body from swaying due to wind or the like during the cleaning work and damaging road signs and the like during cleaning, the vehicle body is supported by stabilizing the vehicle body by projecting it downward and bringing it into contact with the ground. When traveling, pull up as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, at the tip of the movable arm 12, the cleaning brush 21 rotatably driven by the brush drive motor 26 is softly contacted with the surface of the road sign 90 through the spring 25. Is attached to. Further, a limiter 34 is provided, and the cleaning brush 21
Too much against the road sign 90, and the cleaning brush 21
When is moved backward as indicated by the broken line, the contact 34p of the limiter 34 hits the cleaning brush 21 to be turned on or off, and the moving arm 12 stops or retracts the approaching operation of the cleaning brush 21 to the road sign 90 or the like. It has become. Further, a cleaning nozzle 22 is attached, and a hose 24 for sending the cleaning liquid or water from the pump device 15 is connected to the cleaning nozzle 22.

Next, the operation of the vehicle for washing road signs and the like shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 will be described. When the washing vehicle such as a road sign is run, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable arm 12 is folded so as not to interfere with the running. The movable arm 12 automatically interlocks when folded. Of course, the outrigger 19
Pull up to run.

As shown in FIG. 1, when a road sign or the like to be washed is reached, the vehicle is stopped at an appropriate position. Before that, the light board 16 is turned on. If necessary, the illuminator 37 is turned on. The outrigger 19 is lowered and brought into contact with the road surface to stabilize the vehicle body. By operating the operation panel 31, the movable arm 12 is extended, and the cleaning brush 21 is provided in front of the road sign 90.
And the cleaning nozzle 22 is brought closer. Cleaning solution tank 13
The cleaning liquid of (1) is sent through the hose 24 by the pump device 15 and jetted from the cleaning nozzle 22 toward the road sign 90 or the like. At the same time, when the cleaning brush 21 is rotated by the brush drive motor 26 and brought into contact with the surface of the road sign 90 or the like, the dirt attached to the surface of the road sign 90 or the like is removed and cleaned. The operation panel 31 is operated to move the tip of the movable arm 12 in the vertical and horizontal directions parallel to the surface of the road sign 90 or the like, and the position of the cleaning brush 21 and the injection point of the cleaning nozzle 22 are set on the entire surface of the road sign 90 or the like. If it is moved over, the entire surface of the road sign 90 or the like can be cleaned. After the cleaning with the cleaning liquid and the brush is completed, the liquid supplied by the pump device 15 is switched to the water supplied from the water tank 14 and the cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 22, so that the cleaning liquid on the surface of the road sign 90 is also washed away. You can The above operation can be easily performed by the driver or the operator in the driver's seat or the passenger's seat in the passenger compartment by using the operation panel 31 in the passenger compartment.

Next, the movable arm 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
The movement of will be described. The base first member 121 pivots about a vertical axis of the vehicle body 11. The inclination angle of the second member 122 changes with respect to the first member 121, and the third member 123
Changes the inclination angle with respect to the second member 122,
The inclination angle of 24 changes with respect to the third member 123. Fifth
The member 125 rotates with respect to the fourth member 124 about the vertical axis in the drawing. By adjusting and setting the angles of the joints and the like of each member as described above, the cleaning brush 21 or the cleaning nozzle 22 can be positioned or moved at a predetermined distance in front of the road sign 90 or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, since the cleaning brush 21 is pushed forward by the spring 25, the spring 2
If the strength of No. 5 is set appropriately, the cleaning brush 21 contacts the surface of the road sign 90 or the like with an appropriate contact force and brushes. The illustrated distance s is a distance that the cleaning brush 21 can be moved by being pushed by the spring 25. The brush 21 for cleaning is operated by operating the arm 12 during the cleaning operation.
Etc. move to the right in the figure and the cleaning brush 21 is pressed too much against the road sign etc. 90, the cleaning brush 21 compresses the spring 25 and retracts, but up to the broken line on the left side of the distance s in the figure. When retreating, the cleaning brush 21 will move the limiter 3
The limiter 34 is turned on or off by contacting the contactor 34p of No. 4 and the forward movement of the movable arm 12 is stopped, and if necessary, the backward movement is performed. As a result, the cleaning brush 21
It is possible to prevent the metal portion of the vehicle from abutting against the road sign 90 or the like and damaging it.

After the cleaning is completed, the movable arm 12 is folded and the outrigger 19 is pulled up as shown in FIG.
Next, move to a location such as a road sign to be washed.

Next, a vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be described. Movable arm 12, pump device 15, cleaning liquid tank 13, water tank 1 on the vehicle body 11.
4 and the light board 16 and the outriggers 19 on both sides of the vehicle body 11 are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that the ITV camera 33 is installed on the passenger compartment and the operation panel is a computer (microcomputer or microcomputer). The difference is that it is an electronic control operation panel 32 incorporating a personal computer). Although the ITV camera 33 is provided in the vehicle compartment, it may be provided, for example, at the top, bottom, left and right of the tip of the movable arm 12. ITV camera 33
An image processing operation method is performed by using the electronic control operation panel 32.
Alternatively, the electronic control operation panel 32 makes a determination based on information from the ITV camera 33 and various sensors such as a proximity sensor provided at the tip of the movable arm 12 and a sensor that recognizes that a road sign 90 is present in front. Thus, the cleaning operation such as the operation of the movable arm 12, the rotation control of the cleaning brush 21 and the operation control of the pump device 15 can be automatically and smoothly performed.

Next, the tip of the movable arm according to another embodiment shown in FIG. 5 will be described. In FIG. 5, the cleaning brush is omitted, the cleaning nozzle is the high-pressure cleaning nozzle 23, and the pump device 15 is also a high-pressure pump for sending the cleaning liquid or water at high pressure. High pressure cleaning nozzle 23
The high-pressure cleaning liquid or water is sprayed onto the road markings 90 to remove dirt on the surface of the road markings 90. A proximity sensor 35 is attached to the tip of the movable arm 12, and when the tip of the movable arm 12 (the tip of the proximity sensor 35) approaches a road sign or the like 90 within a set value s, the proximity sensor 35 operates, The approaching operation by the movable arm 12 is stopped, and if necessary, the moving operation is moved back to prevent the collision with the road sign 90 or the like.

In addition, in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 or FIG. 4, only one of the cleaning liquid tank 13 and the water tank 14 may be provided. In addition, in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, the limiter 34 and the proximity sensor 35 are equipped together, and for example, the proximity sensor 3
The limiter 34 may be activated when 5 is activated first and the proximity sensor 35 is not activated. Further, a total of four outriggers 19 may be provided on both sides of the vehicle body 11 to further ensure the stability of the vehicle body 11 during work.
Further, the bending / extending method of the movable arm 12 is not limited to the illustrated method, and various methods used in various work robots may be adopted.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the movable arm can be extended by the operation panel in the passenger compartment and the cleaning liquid or water can be jetted from the cleaning nozzle to easily and quickly clean the road signs and the like. Since the warning means prevents the collision of another vehicle and the movable arm can be folded and moved quickly after the cleaning is completed, the road sign or the like can be safely and easily cleaned in a relatively good environment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle for cleaning a road sign etc. according to an embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a side view, and (B) is a view seen from the rear.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to an embodiment of the present invention during traveling.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the tip of the movable arm of the vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the tip of the movable arm of the vehicle for washing road signs and the like according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: vehicle body, 12: movable arm, 13: cleaning liquid tank, 14: water tank, 15: pump device, 16: light board, 19: outrigger, 21: cleaning brush, 2
2: Cleaning nozzle, 23: High pressure cleaning nozzle, 24:
Hose, 25: Spring, 31: Control panel, 32:
Electronic control operation panel, 33: ITV camera, 34: limiter, 35: proximity sensor, 37: illuminator, 90: road sign, etc.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A flexible arm that is equipped with a cleaning nozzle for cleaning road signs and the like at its tip, a tank that stores cleaning liquid or water, and the cleaning liquid or water sent to the cleaning nozzle. A pump device for ejecting and a warning means for warning not to collide with another vehicle approaching from the rear are mounted on the vehicle body, and an operation panel for instructing operations related to the washing of the road signs and the like is provided in the vehicle interior. A car that cleans road signs. 2. The vehicle for cleaning road signs and the like according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning brush is attached to the tip of the movable arm together with a cleaning nozzle. 3. The road sign or the like according to claim 1, wherein a proximity sensor or a limiter for preventing the road sign or the like from approaching the road sign or the like more than a predetermined amount is attached to the tip of the movable arm. Washing car. 4. The vehicle for washing road signs or the like according to claim 1, wherein a computer is incorporated in the operation panel.