JPH1016727A - Device for drying upper surface of body in gantry type car washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To bring a nozzle close to a body and cause it to operate by varying a first and a second body detecting means disposed lower in front and rear of an air blow port, of a blower nozzle by a displacement means. SOLUTION: A blower nozzle 4 is lowered to its lower end position and an air blow port is directed at lower front side by tuning to front, side by actuation of an air cylinder and a body is moved frontward from this condition (a). When a sensor 18 detects the body according to traveling of the body, the nozzle 4 is raised until the sensor 18 becomes non detecting state and when only a sensor 19 detects the body, the nozzle 4 is kept at normal position and when the sensor 18 and the sensor 19 are both at non detecting state, the nozzle 4 is lowered. When the nozzle 4 reaches a body front end part (b), traveling of the body is stopped for designated time and also the nozzle 4 is turned to direct the air blow port to below and selective drying of a body front side is performed. Then, a roof rear end part (c), a rear window part lower end (d) and a body rear end (e) are also dried.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gate-type car washer for reciprocating a vehicle and washing and drying the vehicle body, and more particularly to drying the upper surface of the vehicle body after cleaning using a blower nozzle which moves up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body. The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying a vehicle body upper surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional apparatus for drying the upper surface of a vehicle body, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-75047, an apparatus in which the air blowing direction of a blower nozzle is variable according to the vehicle body shape is known. In such a device, effective drying can be performed by changing the blowing direction of the nozzle according to the vehicle body shape, that is, the inclination of the vehicle body, but since the nozzle is displaced as the blowing direction is changed, the nozzle is displaced in anticipation of this displacement. It is necessary to control so as not to contact the vehicle body, and as a result, it is necessary to separate the nozzle from the vehicle body by a safe distance even when displaced, and it has been difficult to bring the nozzle sufficiently close to the vehicle body.

On the other hand, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-178050, there is known an apparatus in which a vehicle body detecting means which moves up and down together with a blower nozzle is provided so that the blower nozzle can be brought as close as possible to the vehicle body. In particular, in this conventional example, three vehicle body detecting means are provided at different positions vertically and vertically below the air outlet of the blower nozzle, and the blower nozzle is moved up and down as the car washer goes forward and backward to dry the vehicle body. Can be. However, in this conventional example, there is a problem that the blowing direction of the nozzle cannot be changed according to the inclination of the vehicle body, and three vehicle body detecting means are required, resulting in a high cost.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-45447, there is known a vehicle in which two body detecting means which move up and down together with a blower nozzle are provided so that the blower nozzle can be brought as close as possible to the vehicle body with a relatively inexpensive configuration. ing. However, in this conventional example, the positions of the two vehicle body detecting means are set in accordance with the case where the car washer travels to one side (when the car washer goes home), and when the vehicle is traveling to the other side, the nozzles are correctly lifted and lowered. There are drawbacks that can not be done.

[0005]

Therefore, the present invention provides
A vehicle body detecting means that moves up and down together with the blower nozzle is provided so that the nozzle can be brought close enough to the vehicle body to operate, the nozzle blowing direction can be changed, and effective drying can be performed according to the inclination of the vehicle body. It is an object of the present invention to be able to execute the process in accordance with the going and returning of the aircraft, and to achieve these objectives with only two vehicle body detecting means at low cost.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a portal type car washer which reciprocates across an automobile and performs washing and drying of the vehicle body, comprising a blower nozzle which moves up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body, and air on the upper surface. A first and a second vehicle body detecting means provided before and after the air outlet of the blower nozzle, respectively, and the air blowing direction of the blower nozzle is varied. At the same time, displacement means for varying the positions of the first and second vehicle body detection means, blow-off direction control means for controlling the displacement means to operate according to the traveling direction of the portal type car washer and the body shape, An elevation control means for controlling elevation of the blower nozzle in accordance with a traveling direction of the portal type car washer and a vehicle body detection signal of the first and second vehicle body detection means. Includes the door, as characterized in that a possible drying operation with the round trip of the portal car washing machine, is obtained by solving the above problems.

Here, the blower nozzle and the first and second body detecting means may be integrally formed, and the position thereof may be integrally changed by the displacement means.

[0008]

This makes it possible to change the air blowing direction of the blower nozzle and at the same time to change the positions of the first and second vehicle body detecting means, so that the positions of the air outlet of the nozzle and the vehicle body detecting means are appropriately maintained. Thus, the nozzle can be operated sufficiently close to the vehicle body. In addition, since the displacement means can be operated in accordance with the traveling direction of the portal type car washer and the vehicle body shape, and the air blowing direction can be set in accordance with the traveling direction and the vehicle body shape, effective drying according to the inclination of the vehicle body can be achieved. .
In addition, the vertical movement of the blower nozzle is controlled in accordance with the traveling direction of the portal type car washer and the vehicle body detection signals from the first and second vehicle body detecting means, and the vertical movement can be controlled in accordance with the traveling direction. The drying operation can be performed regardless of which of the lines the vehicle travels. Then, the above-described functions and effects can be achieved by using two vehicle body detecting means, and an inexpensive device can be obtained.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part configuration of a portal type car wash machine according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the portal type car wash machine. The car washer body 1 reciprocates on the rails 2 and 2 and moves so as to straddle a vehicle stopped between the rails 2 and 2. Various kinds of brushes including the upper brush 3, blower nozzles 4, 5, and 5, blowers 6 and 6, which are blowers of the blower nozzles, and a washing water injection nozzle (not shown) are provided in the car wash machine body 1. A washing operation by brushing with washing water injection and a drying operation of operating the blowers 6, 6 and blowing air from the blower nozzles 4, 5, 5 are sequentially performed as the car wash machine main body 1 reciprocates. The top brush 3 is supported at both ends by a swing arm 7 and can be moved up and down by swinging the arm 7. The top brush 3 is moved up and down by contact with the vehicle body to perform brushing along the vehicle body upper surface. 8 is a swing arm 7
The encoder outputs a pulse each time the arm 7 rotates by a unit angle along the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle body, and counts and stores this pulse signal as the main body 1 travels, thereby storing the pulse signal. Shape can be grasped. Reference numeral 9 denotes an encoder for detecting the traveling position of the car washer body 1, and reference numerals 10 and 10 denote motors for driving the car washer body 1. When the motors 10 and 10 are driven and the main body 1 travels, a pulse is output from the encoder 9. The running position of the main body 1 can be detected by counting the pulse signals.

Among the blower nozzles 4, 5, and 5, the upper blower nozzle 4 according to the present invention is configured to move up and down in accordance with the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle body. The configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. The blower nozzle 3 extends arms 11, 11 on both sides. The arms 11, 11 are pivotally supported at their ends by carriers 12, 12.
Reference numerals 2 and 12 denote rails 13 formed on both sides of the car wash machine body 1.
13 can be moved up and down. The carriers 12, 12
It is connected to the chain loops 14 and 14 and can be moved up and down. The operation of the motor 15 raises and lowers the blower nozzle 4.

The blower nozzle 4 is rotatably supported by the carriers 12, 12 at the arms 11, 11, and is rotatable.
An operating rod 16 fixed to an end of one arm 11 is connected to an air cylinder 17 and can be rotated in three stages of front, rear and middle as shown in FIG. The air cylinder 17 is connected to one of the carriers 1 corresponding to the operating rod 16.
The two-stage cylinder is provided in the cylinder 2 and has two cylinders connected in series. The three-stage rotation position can be held by a combination of extension / retraction of each cylinder.

Numerals 18 and 19 denote photoelectric sensors serving as vehicle body detecting means, each having a light-emitting device and a light-receiving device opposed to each other, and receiving light signals X and Y output from the light-emitting device by the light-receiving device, respectively. When Y is interrupted, a detection signal is output, and the relative position between the blower nozzle 4 and the vehicle body is detected based on whether the optical signal XY is interrupted by the vehicle body. The photoelectric sensors 18 and 19 are housed in cases 20 and 20 that are integrally connected to the arms 11 and 11 so that the respective light emitters and light receivers sandwich the vehicle body. The sensor 18 is located on the lower front side of the blower nozzle 4 (the front side of the main body 1), and the sensor 19 is located on the lower rear side of the blower nozzle 4. When the blower nozzle 4 is at the intermediate position (the solid line position in FIG. 4), both sensors are located substantially horizontally. When the blower nozzle 4 rotates forward, the sensor 1
8 is located above the sensor 19 and has the opposite positional relationship when it is rotated to the rear side.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system according to the embodiment. Reference numeral 21 denotes a control board, 22 denotes a drive board, and 23 denotes an operation panel. Motor 10,1
0, 15, the blowers 6, 6 and the air cylinder 17 are operated to execute car washing. During car washing, the control board 21 detects the vehicle body shape based on the signals from the encoders 8 and 9 during the washing operation accompanying the operation of the top brush 3 and the like, and stores the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, the window position, the roof position, and the like. deep. That is, the position where the arm 7 of the upper surface brush 3 contacts the vehicle body and oscillates when the arm 7 swings is detected as an end of the vehicle body, and the brush 3 is on the hood or trunk and the arm 7 is inclined by a predetermined angle or more. If there is a swing displacement of the arm 7 at a predetermined speed or more from the state, it is detected as a window portion, and a flat portion between the window portions is detected as a roof portion. When the operation shifts to the drying operation after the cleaning operation, the motor 1
5 to control the up and down movement of the blower nozzle 4 and actuate the air cylinder 17 according to the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, the window position, the roof position, etc., which are detected earlier, and change the air blowing direction of the nozzle 4 according to the vehicle body shape. Variable control.

Hereinafter, the drying operation will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the drying operation accompanying the main body 1 going forward as shown in FIG. 6A and the drying operation accompanying the main body 1 going back as shown in FIG. 6B can be performed.

In FIG. 6A, first, the blower nozzle 4
Is lowered to the lower end position along the rails 13 and 13 and is rotated forward by the operation of the air cylinder 17 so that the air outlet is directed downward and forward.
To go. Here, the photoelectric sensor 18 located on the front side in the traveling direction of the main body 1 is located above the rear sensor 19. When the sensor 18 detects the vehicle body as the body 1 travels, the nozzle 4 is raised until the sensor is not detected,
When only the sensor 19 detects the vehicle body, the nozzle 4 is held at a fixed position, and when both the sensors 18 and 19 are not detected, the nozzle 4 is lowered. When the nozzle 4 reaches the front end b of the vehicle body, the main body 1
Is stopped for a predetermined time, and the nozzle 4 is rotated so that the air outlet is directed downward, and the main body rear drying is performed. Thereafter, the air outlet is returned to the lower front side again, and the blower nozzle 4 is moved up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body. When the blower nozzle 4 reaches the rear end c of the roof, the nozzle 4 is rotated so that the air outlet is directed right below and the rear window portion. When the air reaches the lower end d of the rear window, the air outlet is returned to the lower front side. When reaching the rear end e of the vehicle body, the running of the main body 1 is stopped for a predetermined time, and the nozzle 4 is rotated so that the air outlet is directed downward, so that the rear surface of the main body 1 is subjected to important point drying. With the restart, the nozzle 4 is further rotated so that the outlet is directed downward and rearward to dry the bumper portion.

In FIG. 6B, first, the blower nozzle 4
Is lowered to the lower end, and the air outlet is directed downward and rearward (frontward in the traveling direction), and the main body 1 is moved backward from this state f.
As a result, the photoelectric sensor 19 detects the sensor 1
When the sensor 19 detects the vehicle body along with the travel of the main body 1, the nozzle 4 is raised until the sensor is not detected. When only the sensor 18 detects the vehicle body, the nozzle 4 is held at a fixed position. If both the sensors 18 and 19 are not detected, the nozzle 4 is lowered. When the nozzle 4 reaches the rear end g of the vehicle body, the traveling of the main body 1 is stopped for a predetermined time, and the main body 1 is dried with the air outlet of the nozzle 4 facing directly downward. Thereafter, the air outlet is returned to the lower front side again, and the blower nozzle 4 is moved up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body. When the air is blown and reaches the lower end i of the front window portion, the air outlet is returned to the lower front side again. When the vehicle body reaches the front end j, the running of the main body 1 is stopped for a predetermined period of time, and the nozzle 4 is pointed to the air outlet directly below to perform the critical drying of the rear surface of the vehicle body. Is further rotated so that the outlet is directed downward and forward (rearward in the traveling direction) to dry the bumper portion.

As described above, by inclining the air outlet of the blower nozzle 4 forward in the traveling direction with respect to the traveling direction of the car washer body 1, water droplets on the vehicle body surface are pushed forward in the traveling direction during the reciprocation of the body 1. Drying is achieved. In addition, the photoelectric sensor located on the front side in the traveling direction is located above the other sensor. When the vehicle sensor is detected by the photoelectric sensor located on the front side in the traveling direction, the nozzle 4 is raised. The height of the nozzle 4 is adjusted so that the flat surface of the vehicle body, such as the hood, roof, and trunk, is located between the sensors 18 and 19, and the nozzle 4 is moved along the window. When moving up, the sensor on the front side in the traveling direction is adjusted so as not to touch the glass surface, and when descending along the window, it is adjusted by the sensor on the rear side in the traveling direction so as not to drop sharply. The nozzle 4 can be operated sufficiently close to the vehicle body surface.

Further, when the blower nozzle 4 reaches the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, the main body 1 is temporarily stopped, and the air outlet is set immediately below, so that water drops on the end face are blown downward. When descending, the direction of air blowing of the nozzle 4 and the running of the main body 1 are controlled in accordance with the shape of the vehicle body, such that the air outlet is directed downward and water droplets on the glass surface are blown downward. As a result, highly effective drying in accordance with the shape can be performed.

FIG. 7 shows another operation example, in which the main body 1 is moved at high speed (return) from the state k in which the blower nozzle 4 is held at a height near the roof to the rear end l of the roof.
The nozzle 4 is moved up and down along the vehicle body while the main body 1 is running at a normal speed from the roof rear end 1 to the vehicle rear end m. When the vehicle reaches the rear end m of the vehicle body, the main body 1 is again run at high speed to the rear end l of the roof (retrace). Raise and lower along the body. It is to be noted that, when the nozzle 4 is lowered in the window portion, the outlet is set directly below, or the running is temporarily stopped at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, as in the operation in FIG. According to this embodiment, by drying the inclined portion of the vehicle body while lowering the nozzle 4, water drops on the vehicle body surface can flow down efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a main part configuration of a portal type car washer as an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a main part of the portal type car washer according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car wash machine main body 4 Blower nozzle 6, 6 Blower 17 Air cylinder as displacement means 18 Photoelectric sensor as first vehicle body detection means 19 Photoelectric sensor as second vehicle body detection means 21 Control board as control means

(72) Inventor Eiji Araki 1825 Amemiya Amemiya, Koshoku-city, Nagano Pref. (72) Inventor Mitsuru Danhara 1825 Amemiya Amemiya, Koshoku-shi, Nagano MK Seiko Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A gate-type car washer that reciprocates across an automobile to wash and dry the vehicle body, the blower nozzle including a blower nozzle that moves up and down along the upper surface of the vehicle body, and blows air onto the upper surface to clean the vehicle body. A first and a second vehicle body detecting means provided before and behind the air outlet of the blower nozzle, and the first and second air blow directions of the blower nozzle are varied. Displacement means for varying the position of the vehicle body detecting means, blow direction control means for controlling the displacement means to operate in accordance with the traveling direction of the portal type car washer and the vehicle body shape, and the traveling direction of the portal type car wash machine And the first and second
Lifting control means for controlling the lifting and lowering of the blower nozzle according to the vehicle body detection signal in the vehicle body detection means,
A top drying device for a car body in a portal type car washer, wherein a drying operation accompanying a reciprocating movement of the portal type car washer is enabled. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said blower nozzle and said first and second vehicle body detecting means are integrally formed, and a position thereof is integrally changed by said displacement means. An apparatus for drying the upper surface of a vehicle body in a portal-type car washer, wherein: