JPS6198660A - Car washer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the management manpower by containing a hot water unit, a pump and a control unit in single body then executing central control to provide car wash output to each terminal. CONSTITUTION:A hot water unit 9, a pump 12 and a central control unit 13 are contained in the body 1. The hot water unit 9 is comprised of a water storage section forming water tanks 14-16 and heating means having the boilers 10, 11. While proper umber of pumps 12 are arranged with correspondence to the number of the terminal units to be connected to pressure feed rinse water or detergent water to the nozzle unit at the terminal. While central control unit 13 will control power supply to respective section in accordance to the incorporated program thus to execute turning on-off of car wash operation and central management through transmission/reception of signals to the terminal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a self-service car wash system in which a customer arbitrarily operates a car wash nozzle that sprays high-pressure water to wash a car.

This type of car wash has been developed in recent years in response to the car washing needs of drivers who do not have a car washing space at home, and is gaining popularity. Since the structure consists of just the machine, it is difficult to replenish consumables such as detergent, maintain and inspect the mechanical parts, and wash
Management work such as aggregating charges, frequency, etc. must be performed for each installed car wash machine, which is cumbersome, so a car wash system that can be managed more effectively has been desired.

This invention was made in response to the above problem, and the pump etc.
The system is configured so that the number of terminal devices corresponding to the car wash space is connected to the main body device, and the above-mentioned management work can be performed centrally on the main body device. do.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the basic configuration of this system, and FIG. 2 is an external view of one embodiment of this system.

1 is a main unit; 2 is the main unit, a water supply pipe 3, and an electric wire 4;
A plurality of terminal devices 2 are appropriately arranged according to the capabilities of the main body device 1. The terminal device 2 is provided with a nozzle unit 6 that is connected to the water pipe 3 and has a car wash 7 nozzle 5 at its tip, and a terminal unit 7 that is connected to the electric wire 4 and sends and receives car wash signals.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the main unit 1, in which 8 is an exterior body of the main unit 1, 9 is a hot water supply, 12 is a pump, and 13 is a central control unit. Hot water 1fi9 has its interior E
It consists of a water storage section divided into water tanks 14, 15 and 16, and a heating stage having boilers 10 and 11,
-Water tanks 14 and 16 have pole taps 17 and 1, respectively.
Water is supplied to the water supply pipe 19 through the water tank 1.
4 stores rinsing water, a water tank 15 stores detergent liquid, and a water tank 16 stores an aqueous solution of the detergent liquid in the water tank 15. The detergent solution in this χ tank 16 is transferred to a mixer 20 tilted toward the water supply side.
The odor can be used to draw detergent liquid into the water supply stream. -force,
The boiler 10 is connected to the water tank 14 through a circulation pipe 21 equipped with a pump 22, and the water in the water tank is forcedly circulated into the boiler and heated to an appropriate temperature. The boiler 11 is connected to the water tank 16 through two circulation pipes equipped with a pump 24, and heats the circulating detergent solution to an appropriate temperature.

The pumps 12 are arranged in an appropriate number according to the number of terminal devices 2 to be connected, and are connected to the water tanks 14 and 16 and the solenoid valves 25 and 16, respectively.
26, and is selectively opened and closed by the electromagnetic valves 25 and 26 to absorb liquid and forcefully send rinsing water or detergent water to the nozzle unit 6 at the terminal. The central control unit 13 controls the power supply to each of the above-mentioned parts according to a built-in program, and is connected to each of the terminal units 2 via electric wires 4, and controls ON/OFF and central control of the car wash operation by exchanging signals with the terminals. The details will be explained later. 29 is a solenoid valve that connects the circulation pipe 21 and water supply channel 27 described in 01f;
Temperature sensor (not shown) built into the appropriate location during winter
11 - When the control unit detects that the temperature has reached a certain level F that requires action, the circulation pump 2
2 and open the solenoid valves 25 and 30 to open the water tank 1.
The water in the nozzle unit 4 is discharged from the nozzle unit 6 through the bypass pipe.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the terminal device 2. As shown in FIG. The nozzle unit 6 includes a stand 31 of an appropriate height, an id pole 32 rotatably supported by the stand 31, a flexible hose 33 extending from the tip of the id pole 32, and a flexible hose 33 at the tip of the hose 33. [(It consists of a car wash nozzle that is tilted 1, and a hose 3 with a stand 31 and an idle ball 32.
3 is supported at a high position, and the idle ball 32 rotates to follow and guide the movement of the 7-zuru 5, minimizing the amount of the hose 33 touching the ground -1-,
The structure is such that the nozzle can be easily moved. The car wash nozzle is also equipped with a manual switch 38 that can be used to start and stop watering at any time, and the signal generated by operating the switch is sent via a signal line 39 that is integrated with the hose 33. The terminal unit 7 connects this signal to the electric wire 4 and sends it to the control unit 3 to control the energization of the pump 12 corresponding to the terminal.

The terminal unit 7 is mounted on the unit main body 3 by the stand 34.
5 to an appropriate height, it is configured to be easy to operate and difficult to be splashed by the 7 Zuru 5, and the unit body 35 includes a work panel 36 for inputting car wash inputs, and a display panel 36 for performing car wash operations and progress. A display panel 37 is provided to display the process.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the transmission and reception of electrical signals, in which the central unit 13 and the terminal unit 2 are connected by electric wires 4 consisting of two pairs in total, one pair of signal wires and one pair of power wires. By employing a time division multiplex transmission method, it is possible to send and receive signals between the medium heat unit 13 and the plurality of terminal units 2 by simply connecting them with a pair of signal lines. Reference numeral 40 indicates electric equipment 41 such as the pump, boiler, solenoid valve, etc., according to a control signal from the central unit 13.
It is a relay board that opens and closes the circuit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and connections of the central unit 13. As shown in the figure, a keyboard 43, a display 44, a printer 45, an alarm 46, a memory device 47, etc. are connected to the main board 42, and the main board 42 is located at the center. It constitutes unit 13. The main board 42 is C
PIT/calendar clock and ROM with built-in programs
It is equipped with a working RAM and sends and receives signals to and from each connected device according to a built-in program. keyboard 4
3 is used by the cleaning site manager to mainly input setting data, and consists of a data key 48 consisting of a numeric keypad, etc., and a function key 49 for manually inputting work items [1]. Each key is set to perform various processing operations such as washing rlj interest rate setting, member registration, car wash timer setting, time setting, data printout, and inspection operation. The display 44 mainly displays the format and procedure of data to be input to guide the input work on the keyboard 43, and also displays data processed and stored in the central unit 13 as necessary. Printer 45 is a daily meter.
It provides aggregated data such as the number of car washes and deposit amounts within specified periods such as monthly and annual totals, as well as a list of registered members. The alarm 46 outputs a warning when some kind of abnormality is detected on the main board 42. The memory device 47 includes the keys on the keyboard 43 and the signal line 50 of the electric wire 4.
After the input signal from the terminal via the main board 42 is processed, it is written into the memory 47 and held, and mainly stores member registration data and car wash 'J ril data. 51 is a block showing a group of sensors provided in each part, and the water tank 14 in the hot water 8!9.
It detects whether the water level and temperature at 15 and 16 are within the set values, respectively, and outputs a signal to the central unit 1. 52 is a backup power supply, and when the power supply is turned off at 17, the memory device 50 and the main board 42 are It protects the calendar from being reset by the rain and saves data. 53 is a power source.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and connections of the terminal unit 7. The terminal unit 7 is depicted by connecting a sub-board 55 to an operation board 56, a terminal display 57, etc. The sub-board 55 is equipped with a CP tJ, a ROM containing a program, and a working RAM, and is connected to the central unit 13 via a signal line 50.

The operation board 56 has a coin counter 58 with a coin input [J], a car wash course selection key 59 that differs depending on whether detergent is required, length of time, etc., a data key 60 for inputting the 1 PIN code of the society H, insufficient payment / PIN error. Each of them is provided with a display lamp 61 for displaying the following information. Terminal display 5
Reference numeral 7 is for displaying input guidance and instructions on the operation board 56, whether or not a car wash is accepted, and the state of elapsed time during the wash I'lt, which will be described in detail later. 61 is an alarm that outputs a warning. Further, this terminal unit 7 is connected to the hand switch 38 of the nozzle 5 via the signal line 39, and outputs a car wash start command and a temporary stop command to the main body 1 in response to an operation input from the hand switch.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control operation in the central unit 13, and the operation will be explained below based on this figure. In the figure, (,) is the main 70- executed normally, and (
a) During execution - The program is configured so that a timer interrupt is generated at regular intervals to jump from (a) to (b).

(a) At the door: (1) When the power is turned on, an initial setting routine is executed, and the main board 42 reads the program from the ROM, and also sets the fees and timers for each car wash course written in the memory device 47. The initial data of is output to the terminal unit 7.

(2) The central unit 13 and the terminal unit 7 constantly cyclically transmit and receive signals, and the transmitted and received signals are self-checked to detect the presence or absence of an abnormality. If there is an abnormality here, the alarm 46 outputs a warning to prompt inspection, and the terminal in which the abnormality occurs is displayed on the display 44 as a transmission abnormality.

(3) Read the signals sent from each sensor 51, detect whether the detected value of the sensor is within the settings, and if it is in an abnormal state outside the settings, declare to the terminal that car washing is prohibited 11- At the same time, a message indicating that reception is prohibited is displayed on the display 44. On the other hand, if there is no sensor abnormality, a signal is output to the terminal indicating that the car can be washed.

(4) Read the current time from the built-in clock of the main board 42, detect whether the time is within the set business hours, and if it is detected that it is outside the business hours, the reception form 11
- to the terminal, \'I)', and after a certain preparation time, turn off the power to the terminal at the end of the work day.

(5) Keyboard 4: detects whether any function key 49 has been pressed (12).
, if the pressed key is pressed, executes the routine that performs the task set for the pressed key, while if it is not pressed, the above (
2) Repeat the action more. Here, the tasks set for each function key 49 will be explained (see FIG. 7). (See FIG. 7) A) Charge key: Sets and registers charges for each car wash course set on the operation board 56 of the terminal unit 7.

口) Membership key: Assign a member's PIN number to a customer who has become a member, and register contract details (number of car washes, etc.).

c) Timer key; rinsing process in each car wash course,
It performs timer setting work such as setting the time for washing the detergent, setting the time during which work can be interrupted by operating the hand switch 38, and setting the opening and closing times of the washing area.

2) Time key: Sets and records the month 1-1 and time of the calendar on the main board 42 (5rf).

e) Print key: [Selectively prints out the total data such as 1 total, 1 total, total, member data displaying the member registrant's password, number of remaining contracts, etc.

f) Inspection key: Each terminal is put into a car wash standby state, and the car wash operation can be started without inserting a coin or entering a password, making it possible to inspect the car wash operation.

Next, in the interrupt routine (b), it is detected from the signal transmitted from the terminal whether or not there was any human effort to wash the car by inserting a coin into the terminal (6) or manually inputting the member's PIN code, and if there is input for washing the car, the human effort is detected. It detects whether it is related to a member or a cash customer, and if the member is a member, the password entered manually at the terminal is used as proof, and the proof result is transmitted to the terminal.

1l- (7) If there is a car wash start command from the terminal in conjunction with the operation of the main switch 38 in the 7th gear 5, the process of the car wash course selected with the selection key 59 is executed based on the data transmitted from the terminal. When the solenoid valve 25 or 26 is selectively opened, the pump 12 is driven to the terminal where the command was given.

(8) Similarly, when the hand switch 38 is operated, if a car wash interruption command is issued from the terminal, the solenoid valve that is currently open is closed, and the pump 12 that is currently being driven is turned off.

(9) With the execution of the selected car wash course, if there is a car wash-[transition command, the one of the solenoid valves 25 and 26 that is open is closed and the other is opened. That is, switching is performed between rinsing with water and cleaning with detergent water.

(10) When a signal indicating that the car wash course that has already been executed is completed is inputted from the terminal, the solenoid valve is closed, the pump drive is stopped, and the aggregated data according to the case is stored in the memory device 47.・Read member data, etc., add the number of car washes performed, amount, etc., and perform data processing such as subtracting the number of contracts of the member from the member data)
.

Therefore, by the above-mentioned operation, the routine (I) related to the wash qt reception is executed during the execution of the main 70-(a).
Since the interrupt is generated at a fixed timing (+ns order), there is no problem with the car wash reception even if various processing takes time on the main 7 rj-(a). It is designed to be able to handle any situation.

FIG. 9 is a 70-chart diagram showing the operation in the terminal unit 7, and the operation in the terminal will be explained below based on this diagram.

(1) When the power is turned on, data such as timer setting values and fees related to the car wash operation transmitted from the central unit 13 are first read and stored in the built-in memory.

(2) Detect whether or not the central unit declares that a car wash can be accepted, and if possible, display A on the display 57, i.e., ``Currently accepting a car wash, please insert coins.1''. Displays that the car wash is being accepted.-Noj, if the reception f-1 prohibition has been declared, it will be displayed. .

(3) If a coin is inserted or a member's PIN is entered on the operation board 56, a message indicating that a car wash has been entered is sent to the central unit 1: If so, the remaining number of contracts, etc. will be displayed.

(4) Wait until a car wash course is selected using the selection key 59 on the operation board 56, and if there is enough power to select it, a message will appear on the display 57, ie, ``Press the hand switch.'' 1, which indicates that the machine is waiting to start a car wash.

(5) Hand switch of nozzle 5; (at 8, wait until there is human power to start, turn off ff1L, and if there is human power, the central unit 1
A car wash start command is output to the sub-board 55, and a display E, that is, a bar graph as shown in FIG. On the other hand, while in the standby state with no input, the interrupt +
j (When the operating time is exceeded, the alarm 61 outputs a warning, and the medium heat unit 13 automatically outputs a start command to start washing if.

(6) T'-source switch: (When pressed during the car wash process at 8, it is judged as an interruption request and the central unit 13.
A car wash interruption command is output, the above-mentioned display is displayed, and the machine waits for the car wash to start.

(7) When the car wash end time is marked by the timer counter on the sub-board 55, the end of the car wash is declared to the medium heat unit 13 and the display F, ie [Thank you very much. Displays that the car wash mentioned in step 1 has been completed.

Therefore, as described above, the terminal outputs a signal to the medium heat unit 13 according to the manual operation on the operation board 56, and also displays operation instructions, etc. according to the case on the display 57, and operates to guide the customer's operation. This contributes to the promotion of unmanned washing stations.

-15= This invention is configured as follows: the water heater, pump, control unit, etc. are housed in one main unit, where they are centrally controlled and output to multiple terminals. Therefore, pipe burying of consumables such as detergents, management and maintenance of water piping and electrical wiring, etc. can be carried out centrally in one place, and management labor can be significantly reduced compared to the above-mentioned conventional washing facility. In addition, since the terminal only needs to be formed with a terminal unit for car wash input and a nozzle unit, the installation area it occupies is extremely small, resulting in a significant space saving compared to conventional systems.

Furthermore, since the central control unit included in the main unit aggregates and stores signals from each terminal, it is possible to eliminate the hassle of managing payments for each terminal as in the past. If settings such as car wash fees and membership registration are made in the unit, each terminal can be controlled collectively based on this data, making settings for each terminal unnecessary, allowing for extremely efficient car wash facility management.

=16-

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the external appearance of an embodiment system! ) The figure is an explanatory diagram ff1 showing the configuration of the main unit of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the external appearance of the terminal device of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the transmission and reception of electrical signals. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and connections of the medium heat unit 13. FIG. An explanatory diagram showing the connections. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control operation in the central unit 13. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation in the terminal unit 7.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of terminal devices, each equipped with a water spray nozzle for car washing, are connected to a main unit equipped with a pump, a water heater, etc., and each terminal is configured to perform car washing work individually, and the main unit is configured to centrally control each part of the main unit. Each terminal device shall be equipped with a terminal unit that outputs a car wash signal to the central unit in accordance with the operation input to send and receive signals, and the central unit shall have a built-in or connected calculation means, storage means, A car wash system characterized by being configured such that car wash signals from a terminal unit are appropriately aggregated and stored by a display means, and the aggregated data can be retrieved at will.