JPH11342834A - Car wash machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a car wash machine which can prevent the icing of a top brush without using a heating device such as a heater. SOLUTION: This car wash machine 1 carried out the car wash while reciprocating a car wash machine main body to a vehicle 4, and when the air temperature detected by an air temperature detecting device is higher than a specific value, a top brush 11 washes the upper surface of the vehicle 4 by rotating it regularly in the direction A during the brushing wash process, and after that, the brush 11 is retreated to the upper side by stopping its rotation during the drying process. And when the air temperature detected by the air temperature detecting device 24 is less than the specific value, the upper surface of the vehicle 4 is washed by rotating the top brush 11 regularly in the brushing process, and then, in the drying process, the top brush 11 is rotated reversely in the direction B, as well as the top brush 11 is retreated to the upper side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a car washer for brushing a vehicle and then drying it.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example, this type of car washer is capable of reciprocating in a front-rear direction along a moving path 52 between a home position P1 and a limit position P2. A car wash body 53 is provided, and a vehicle stop position P3 for stopping the vehicle 54 to be washed is formed between the home position P1 and the limit position P2.

The car wash body 53 is formed in a gate shape in a front view. The car wash body 53 includes a pair of left and right rocker brushes 57 rotatable about a vertical axis 56 and a vertical axis center. A pair of left and right side brushes 59 rotatable about a center 58, a top brush 61 that is vertically movable and rotatable about a horizontal axis 60, and a cleaning water arch 62 that sprays cleaning water onto the surface of the vehicle 54. , 63, a detergent arch 64 for spraying detergent on the surface of the vehicle 54, a wax arch 65, 66 for spraying wax on the surface of the vehicle 54,
A pair of left and right side nozzles 67 for injecting air on the side surface of the vehicle 4 for drying and a top nozzle 68 for injecting air on the upper surface of the vehicle 54 for drying are provided.

[0004] According to this, after the vehicle 54 is stopped at the vehicle stop position P3, the car wash machine body 53 is moved forward, and the rocker brush 57 and the side brush 59 are moved.
And the top brush 61, respectively, and wash water, detergent and wax from each of the arches 62-66 with the vehicle 5.
Inject to 4.

As a result, the wheels 69 and the lower side of the vehicle 54 are brushed and washed with the rocker brush 57, the side and front and rear surfaces of the vehicle 54 are brushed and washed with the side brush 59, and the upper surface of the vehicle 54 is brushed with the top brush 61. Washed. At this time, the top brush 61 is moved up and down according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle 54.

In this manner, as shown in FIG. 7, while the car washer body 53 is traveling forward from the home position P1 to the limit position P2, the brushing cleaning step is performed, and the surface of the vehicle 54 is brushed and cleaned. You.

When the car washing machine main body 53 reaches the limit position P2, the injection of the washing water, the detergent and the wax from the arches 62 to 66 is stopped, and the rotation of the brushes 57, 59, 61 is performed. Is stopped, and the top brush 61 rises to the upper limit position and retreats, and the brushing cleaning process ends.

[0008] Thereafter, the car washer body 53 returns from the limit position P2 to the home position P1 (reverse) and travels, during which a drying process for drying the surface of the vehicle 54 is performed. That is, in the drying process, the side of the vehicle 54 is dried by injecting air from the side nozzle 67, and the upper surface of the vehicle 54 is dried by injecting air from the top nozzle 68. When the car wash machine body 53 returns to the home position P1, the injection of air from the nozzles 67 and 68 is stopped, and the drying process ends. Thereafter, by starting the vehicle 54 from the vehicle stop position P3, a series of car washes is completed.

When the above-described car washing machine is used in a cold region, the moisture attached to the top brush 61 freezes during the drying process, and the top brush 61 freezes on the ceiling 70 of the car washing machine main body 53 at the upper limit position. Problem.

In order to solve such a problem, after stopping the rotation of the top brush 61 and completing the brushing cleaning step, the top brush 61 is rotated only for a short time immediately before the drying step is performed. The top brush 61 is drained.

[0011]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional type, since the top brush 61 is rotated only for a short time immediately before the drying step is performed, the top brush 6 is rotated.
Insufficient draining of 1 and the water remaining on the top brush 61 freezes during the drying process, and the top brush 61 freezes on the ceiling 70 of the car wash machine body 53 at the upper limit position, and the top brush 61 descends. Inconveniences such as being impossible or the top brush 61 being broken during rotation occurred.

On the other hand, the ceiling 7 of the car wash body 53
0, and the top brush 61
It is conceivable to prevent icing of the top brush 61, but a new problem has occurred such as an increase in cost and thermal deformation of the top brush 61 due to the heat of the heater.

An object of the present invention is to provide a car washer capable of preventing icing of a top brush without using a heating device such as a heater.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a car washer according to the first aspect of the present invention has a car wash machine body, which is provided with a vertically movable washing brush for brushing and washing the upper surface of a vehicle while rotating, and a vehicle surface. A drying nozzle provided for drying, wherein the car washer is configured to perform car washing while at least one of the car washing machine main body and the vehicle is relatively moved with respect to the other, and the washing brush is rotated during a brushing washing process. At the same time, the cleaning brush is rotated even during the drying process.

According to this, the washing brush is rotated while at least one of the car washer body and the vehicle is relatively moved with respect to the other, and is moved up and down according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle. Thus, a brushing cleaning step is performed, and the upper surface of the vehicle is brushed and cleaned by the cleaning brush.

After the brushing cleaning step, a drying step is performed, and the surface of the vehicle is dried by injecting drying air from the drying nozzle toward the surface of the vehicle. By rotating the cleaning brush during the drying process, the cleaning brush can be sufficiently drained.
It is possible to prevent the washing brush from freezing at low cost without using a special heating device such as a heater, and to prevent a problem that the washing brush freezes on the ceiling of the car wash machine body at the upper limit position. it can.

The car washer according to the second aspect of the present invention is provided with an air temperature detecting device, and when the air temperature detected by the air temperature detecting device falls below a certain value, rotates the cleaning brush even during the drying process.

According to this, when the air temperature detected by the air temperature detecting device falls below a certain value, the cleaning brush is rotated even during the drying process, so that the cleaning brush can be prevented from freezing. If the temperature detected by the temperature detection device is higher than a certain value, the rotation of the cleaning brush is stopped during the drying process. As described above, when the temperature is higher than a certain value and there is no fear of freezing of the cleaning brush, the cleaning brush is not rotated during the drying process, so that unnecessary power is not consumed during the drying process. Useful for energy saving.

In the car washer according to the third aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is reverse to the rotation during the brushing cleaning process, and is performed at a lower speed than the rotation during the brushing cleaning process. It is.

According to this, the rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is reversed to the rotation during the brushing cleaning process, so that water droplets scattered from the cleaning brush are dried immediately after passing through the drying nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water droplets scattered from the cleaning brush from remaining on the surface of the vehicle during the drying process.

In addition, since the rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is performed at a lower speed than the rotation during the brushing cleaning process, the cleaning brush is mounted on the ceiling of a tall vehicle during the drying process. Even if it interferes with an accessory such as a carrier, it is possible to reduce damage to the accessory such as the cleaning brush and the carrier.

In the car washer according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the body of the car washer can reciprocate in the front-rear direction with respect to the stopped vehicle. The drying process is performed when the vehicle returns.

According to this, the brushing cleaning process is carried out by rotating the cleaning brush and moving it up and down according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle while moving the car washer body forward with respect to the stopped vehicle. You.

After the brushing washing step, the drying step is carried out by injecting drying air from the drying nozzle toward the vehicle surface while moving the car washer body forward with respect to the vehicle.

[0025]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a self-propelled car washer having a car washer body 3 capable of traveling back and forth between a home position P1 and a limit position P2 in a front-rear direction along a movement path 2. ing. A vehicle stop position P3 for stopping the vehicle 4 to be washed is formed between the home position P1 and the limit position P2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the car wash machine body 3 is formed in a portal shape when viewed from the front, and the car wash machine body 3 is rotatable about a longitudinal axis 6. A pair of left and right rocker brushes 7, a pair of left and right side brushes 9 rotatable about a vertical axis 8, and a horizontal axis 10
A top brush 11 (an example of a cleaning brush) that is rotatable around the center, cleaning water arches 12 and 13 that spray cleaning water on the surface of the vehicle 4, and a detergent arch 14 that sprays detergent on the surface of the vehicle 4. A wax arch 15, 16 for injecting wax on the surface of the vehicle 4, a pair of left and right side nozzles 17 (an example of a drying nozzle) for injecting air to the side of the vehicle 4 for drying, and an air on the upper surface of the vehicle 4. And a top nozzle 18 (an example of a drying nozzle) for injecting and drying.

The top brush 11 is made of cloth and is rotatably supported between the free ends of a pair of left and right swing arms 19 which swing vertically. Go up and down. The top brush 11 is
The rotation is performed in the forward and reverse directions A and B by a rotary drive device 20 such as a motor. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction A is a direction at the time of forward rotation of the top brush 11, and a rotation direction of a lower portion of the top brush 11 is a direction that matches a forward running direction of the car wash machine body 3. The direction B is the direction when the top brush 11 rotates in the reverse direction, and the direction of rotation of the lower portion of the top brush 11 is the direction that matches the backward running direction of the car wash machine body 3. The top brush 11 is located behind the drying nozzles 17 and 18.

The car washing machine body 3 includes a control device 22 and
An operation panel 23, a vehicle height detecting device 29 for detecting the height of the upper surface of the vehicle 4, and an air temperature detecting device 24 for detecting the air temperature are provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, on the floor side 25, a first detection device 26 for detecting the car wash machine body 3 that has reached the home position P1, and the limit position P2
And a second detection device 27 for detecting the car wash machine main body 3 that has reached the condition.

The operation panel 23 is provided with a start switch 28 for starting the car washer 1 and various operation switches 32 for inputting a stop command, a car wash mode, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 22 includes an input signal from a start switch 28 and an operation switch 32 of the operation panel 23 and the detection devices 24, 26, 27, and 29.
Based on the detection signals from the first and second brushes 7 and 9,
3 and actuator 34 of each nozzle 17, 18 and each arch 12
To 16 operating devices 35 and the like.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.
First, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the vehicle 4 is stopped at the vehicle stop position P3 with the car wash machine main body 3 waiting at the home position P1. Then, the operation panel 2
The car wash is started by operating the start switch 28 of No.3.

At this time, if the temperature detected by the temperature detecting device 24 is higher than a predetermined value (for example, 3 ° C.), it is determined that there is no concern that the top brush 11 freezes, and the control device 22 performs a normal car wash. Will be implemented.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the car washer body 3 is moved forward from the home position P1 toward the limit position P2, and the rocker brush 7, the side brush 9, and the top brush 11 are rotated, respectively. Further, cleaning water, detergent, and wax are injected from the arches 12 to 16 to the vehicle 4.

As a result, the wheel 30 and the lower side of the vehicle 4 are brushed and washed with the rocker brush 7, and
Of the vehicle 4 is brushed and washed by the side brush 9, and the upper surface of the vehicle 4 is brushed and washed by the top brush 11 that rotates forward in the A direction. At this time, the control device 2
2 moves the top brush 11 up and down according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle 4 detected by the vehicle height detection device 29.

In this way, while the car washer body 3 is traveling forward from the home position P1 to the limit position P2, the brushing cleaning process is performed, and the surface of the vehicle 4 is brushed and cleaned.

When the car washing machine main body 3 reaches the limit position P2, the second detecting device 27 detects the car washing machine main body 3, and based on this detection, the control device 22 sends a signal from each of the arches 12-16. Of the cleaning water, the detergent and the wax, the rotation of each of the brushes 7, 9, and 11 is stopped, and the top brush 11 is raised to the upper limit position and retracted, thereby completing the brushing cleaning process.

Thereafter, the car washer body 3 is moved to the limit position P.
2 to return to the home position P1 (reverse), and during this time, a drying process for drying the surface of the vehicle 4 is performed. That is, in the drying step, the side of the vehicle 4 is dried by injecting air from the side nozzle 17,
Air is injected from the top nozzle 18 to dry the upper surface of the vehicle 4.

When the car washing machine main body 3 returns to the home position P1, the first detecting device 26 detects the car washing machine main body 3, and based on this detection, the control device 22 causes each nozzle 1
The injection of the air from 7, 18 is stopped, and the drying process is terminated. Thereafter, by starting the vehicle 4 from the vehicle stop position P3, a series of car washes is completed.

When the temperature detected by the temperature detecting device 24 is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, it is determined that it is necessary to prevent the top brush 11 from freezing, and the control device 22 adds an anti-icing operation during car washing. You.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the car wash machine main body 3 is moved forward from the home position P1 toward the limit position P2, and the rocker brush 7, the side brush 9, and the top brush 11 are rotated, respectively. Further, cleaning water, detergent, and wax are injected from the arches 12 to 16 to the vehicle 4.

As a result, the wheels 30 and the lower side of the vehicle 4 are brushed and washed with the rocker brush 7, and
Are brushed and washed by the side brush 9, and the upper surface of the vehicle 4 is brushed and washed by the top brush 11. At this time, the control device 22 raises and lowers the top brush 11 according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle 4 detected by the vehicle height detection device 29.

In this way, while the car washer body 3 is traveling forward from the home position P1 to the limit position P2, the brushing cleaning process is performed, and the surface of the vehicle 4 is brushed and cleaned.

When the car washing machine main body 3 reaches the limit position P2, the second detecting device 27 detects the car washing machine main body 3, and on the basis of this detection, the control device 22 causes the arches 12 to 16 to detect the car washing machine main body 3. Of the washing water, detergent and wax is stopped, and the rocker brush 7 and the side brush 9 are stopped.
And then, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The brush 11 is lifted and retracted to the upper limit position while rotating the top brush 11 backward in the direction B at a lower speed than during the brushing cleaning process, thereby completing the brushing cleaning process.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
Is returned (reversed) from the limit position P2 to the home position P1, and during this time, the vehicle 4 is rotated in the B direction while the top brush 11 retracted to the upper limit position is rotated in the reverse direction.
A drying step is performed to dry the surface. That is, in the drying process, the side of the vehicle 4 is dried by injecting air from the side nozzle 17 and the upper surface of the vehicle 4 is dried by injecting air from the top nozzle 18.

When the car washing machine main body 3 returns to the home position P1, the first detecting device 26 detects the car washing machine main body 3, and based on this detection, the control device 22 causes the nozzle 1
The injection of the air from the nozzles 7 and 18 is stopped, and the rotation of the top brush 11 is stopped to terminate the drying process. Thereafter, by starting the vehicle 4 from the vehicle stop position P3, a series of car washes is completed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the top brush 11 can be sufficiently drained by rotating the top brush 11 even during the drying process, so that a special heating device such as a heater is used. Without this, the freezing of the top brush 11 can be prevented at low cost, and the problem that the top brush 11 freezes on the ceiling 31 of the car wash machine body 3 at the upper limit position can be prevented.

As shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, when the rotation direction of the top brush 11 during the drying process is reversed (that is, in the direction B), water droplets adhering to the top brush 11 are removed from the nozzles 17 and 18. Scatters toward the rear side of the car wash machine body 3 which is on the opposite side to the car wash machine body 3.
The water droplets scattered from the top brush 11 are dried when passing through the nozzles 17 and 18 immediately thereafter. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water droplets scattered from the top brush 11 from remaining on the surface of the vehicle 4 during the drying process.

Further, the top brush 1 during the drying process
Since the rotation speed of the top brush 11 is lower than the rotation speed of the top brush 11 during the brushing and washing process, the top brush 11 may be mounted on the ceiling of the tall vehicle 4 such as a carrier during the drying process. Even if it interferes with the accessory, damage to the accessory such as the top brush 11 and the carrier can be reduced.

When the temperature detected by the temperature detecting device 24 is higher than a predetermined value, it is determined that there is no concern that the top brush 11 freezes, and the rotation of the top brush 11 during the drying process is stopped. It does not consume wasteful power during the drying process, which helps save energy.
Further, in a cold region where the temperature of most of the year is equal to or lower than a certain value, the top brush 11 may always be rotated reversely even during the drying process without using the temperature detecting device 24. .

In the above embodiment, the car washer 1 of the type in which the car washer body 3 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction with respect to the stopped vehicle 4 has been described, but the vehicle 4 is placed on a pallet (not shown). However, a car washing machine of a type in which the pallet and the car washing machine main body 3 reciprocate in the front and rear opposite directions may be used. Further, the car wash machine may be of a type in which the car wash machine body is installed and fixed on the floor side 25 and the car 4 is washed in the car wash machine body while the vehicle 4 is conveyed by a conveying device such as a roller conveyor.

[0050]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the cleaning brush is rotated not only during the brushing cleaning step but also during the subsequent drying step, so that the cleaning brush can be sufficiently drained. It is possible to prevent the washing brush from freezing at low cost without using a special heating device such as a heater, and to prevent the washing brush from freezing on the ceiling of the car wash machine body at the upper limit position. Can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the temperature is higher than a predetermined value and there is no fear of freezing of the cleaning brush, the cleaning brush is not rotated during the drying process. It does not consume wasted power and helps save energy.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is reversed relative to the rotation during the brushing cleaning process, so that water droplets scattered from the cleaning brush immediately dry. Therefore, water droplets scattered from the cleaning brush during the drying process can be prevented from remaining on the surface of the vehicle.

Since the rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is performed at a lower speed than the rotation during the brushing cleaning process, the cleaning brush is mounted on the ceiling of a tall vehicle during the drying process. Even if it interferes with an accessory such as a carrier, it is possible to reduce damage to the accessory such as the cleaning brush and the carrier.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning brush is rotated while the car washer body is traveling forward with respect to the stopped vehicle, and the vehicle is moved up and down according to the height of the upper surface of the vehicle. A brushing cleaning step is performed.

After the brushing washing step, the drying step is carried out by injecting drying air from the drying nozzle toward the vehicle surface while moving the car washer body forward with respect to the vehicle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a car wash machine main body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the car wash machine body.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system of the car washer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation of the car washer during a brushing cleaning process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation of the car washer during a drying process.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a configuration of a conventional car wash machine main body.

FIG. 7 is a view showing the operation of a conventional car washer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car wash machine 3 Car wash machine main body 4 Vehicle 11 Top brush (brush for cleaning) 17 Side nozzle (nozzle for drying) 18 Top nozzle (nozzle for drying) 24 Temperature detector

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A car washing machine main body is provided with a vertically movable washing brush for brushing and washing a vehicle upper surface while rotating, and a drying nozzle for drying a vehicle surface, and at least one of the car washing machine main body and the vehicle. A car washing machine that performs car washing while relatively moving the washing brush relative to the other, while rotating the brush for washing during a brushing washing process,
A car washing machine characterized in that the washing brush is rotated even during a drying process. 2. The car washer according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature detecting device, wherein when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting device falls below a predetermined value, the cleaning brush is rotated even during the drying process. . 3. The rotation of the cleaning brush during the drying process is reversed with respect to the rotation during the brushing cleaning process.
The car washer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the washing is performed at a lower speed than the rotation during the brushing washing process. 4. A car washing machine main body can reciprocate in a front-rear direction with respect to a stopped vehicle, a brushing washing process is performed when the car washing machine main body travels forward, and a drying process is performed when the car washing machine main body returns. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step is performed.
The car washer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.