Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S3/00—Vehicle cleaning apparatus not integral with vehicles
  • B60S3/04—Vehicle cleaning apparatus not integral with vehicles for exteriors of land vehicles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for monitoring the operation of a machine for car washing.
• the present invention relates a device for securing and protecting persons operating such car wash machines
• the background of the present invention is an accident occuring in a car wash plant in Denmark. Even though it was beyond the opening hours of the car wash, a customer managed to open the car wash exit door, drive his car into the wash bay, entering the control room and starting the washing machine. Thus the car was placed in the wrong direction as it was driven in from the exit door. As it is normal to «view» the washing process from inside the car, the customer tried to enter the car. But now as the car was in the wrong direction, he was unfortunately trapped between the open door and the forward moving/rolling wash machine, as that the door was pressed back against its hinges .
• machines for car washing which are used today, includes only a sensor system for controlling that the car is placed in correct position. And further sensors are establishing the vertical outline of the car (to the both sides, front and rear of the car) and height and contour of the bonnet, the wind screen (rear window) and the roof of the car. Thus the vertical and horisontal brushes, the detergent spray bars, and the airblowing means may obtain the correct position over the complete washing procedure.
• GB 2217478 A device for controlling a plurality of washing stations (Remote diagnostic) .
• JP 10287443 A device scanning the body shape and position of the vehicles.
• JP 02064524 A device which memorizes data for detecting vehicle height and position.
• JP 01045947 A device which improves safety when washing a car by detecting the shape.
• JP 63099998 A device which prevents any damage to a vehicle by storing the coordinates upper brush.
• the systems are therefore not able to make adjustments for extraneous or foreign bodies, such as person, unintentionally being in the operational area for the washing machine.
• the main object of the invention is to provide for a device which may eliminate the abovementioned draw backs of washing machines of today.
• a main object of the invention is to provide for a device which is able to stop the operation of the car wash machine, when the device registers objects (persons etc) which are not intended to be in operational area of the car washing machine.
• An object of the invention is also for elimination of the risk for injuring persons, both a plant operator and a customer, which unintentionally is in the working area of the car wash machine as this is running.
• the goal of the invention is to secure a customer who is actually moving or driving his car into position to start the washing of his car.
• one of the objects of the invention is to prevent persons from being injured in connection with their coming and goings in the car wash.
• the device of the present invention is characterized by the features appearing in the characterizing clause of the independent device claim.
• the further sepesific features of the device appear of the dependent device claims .
• the method and device are used to prevent the car wash machine portal injuring persons and other objects which unintentionally are at presence in the operational area of the car wash machine.
• the invention may be used to prevent damage to the car being handled by the car washing machine, such as mirrors, antennas, roof racks etc of a car.
• the device according to the present invention is based on sensors, and in particular ultrasonic sensors or photoelectric sensors, or a combination of both these kinds of sensor.
• the (ultrasonic) sensors are placed at the top of the front and back of the machine portal, with an inter- section line along the inner edge towards the car as a straight vertical section in order to prevent the machine portal from running into persons.
• PLC programmable logic circuit
• Figure 1 shows a sectional plan view of a car washing plant.
• Figure 2 shows a front view of a car washing portal of the plant, i.e. the legs and the horizontal top beam.
• Figure 3 shows a side view of one of the sides of the plant, i.e. including one of the portal legs including the equipment for mounting one of the vertically rotating washing brushes.
• Figure 4 shows a sectional plan view of a car washing plant.
• Figure 5 shows a further side view in line with figure 3, showing a further lower sensing unit, scanning for possible objects on the floor level, or registering the washing machine coming close to the end wall or IN/OUT-gate of the washing plant.
• FIG 1 a sectional plan view of a car washing plant 10.
• the washing bay includes a washing portal 12 situated within a closed housing.
• the entrance to the housing includes closable IN- 14 and OUT 16 gates at each end of the housing, respectively.
• the washing portal 12 is constructed of two vertical legs 18,20 (see figure 2) and an upper horizontal cross bar 22.
• the washing portal 12 moves by wheels (not shown) on rails 24,26 on the floor of washing bay.
• the washing portal 12 includes all equipment for effecting a car wash procedure, namely left 28 and right 29 vertically rotating brushes and a single horizontally rotating brush 23.
• washing portal 12 includes all equipment for spraying cleaning soap detergents, wax and other chemicals on the car 21, and further fan equipment and drive gears to operate the washing portal. It also includes connection lines to the computer which is managing the plant and card reader to register that the customer has paid. In addition to the sensing system known per se to register that the car has arrived in correct position for washing, and the car contour outline, the washing plant also includes the security system according to the present invention.
• FIG. 2 and 4 there are shown forward and rear sensors 30,32 and 34,36 respectively (a total of 4) mounted in the upper portion of the washing machine, namely on each front and rear side of the top horizontal beam 22 of the portal 12.
• Figure 5 shows a further positioning of a lower sensor unit 40, scanning for possible objects on the floor level, or registering the washing machine arriving close to the end wall, represented by the IN/OUT-gate of the washing plant.
• several sensors 38,40 are mounted inside the portal, i.e. to the lower side of the beam 22. The purpose of these sensors is to monitoring the spaces, 35 and 37, respectively, between he car 21 sides and the inwardly facing section of the legs
• the working principle of an ultrasonic sensor is like an echo sounder in a ship.
• the sensor beams a pulse of high frequency waves out from the transmitter and measures the time until the pulse is echoed back. With a wave speed of 340 m/s through the air, it is easy for the microprocessor in the sensor to calculate the travelled distance. This fact yields that the sensor by its working principle is a bit slow. If the working distance is up to 2.5 m, and the travelled distance of the wave is doubled (forth and back) , it gives a pulse repetition time of 14.7 ms (miHi second) plus safety time up to 16 ms .
• the senor To avoid bouncing the sensor is set up so that it must have several (for example three) echoed pulses before turning on, and similarly a further series of several (for example four) missing pulses before turning off. With a little calculation the machine travels 17 mm (millimeters) in the best case.
• the sensors beam characteristics have a diffusion of eight degrees in a cone in front of the sensor. On the distance used, which is 2.3 m (meters), the sensed circular area on the floor has a diameter of 0.64 m (meters) .
• the system consists of a transmitter, a detector, and an amplifier.
• the transmitter beams a light pulse to the detector. If the pulse is not detected, the beam is either broken or the transmitter (or detector) is pointed elsewhere.
• the amplifier is multiplexed, that means that only one pair is working at a time. Up to six pairs can be connected to the amplifier at one time, and the six pairs work with a frequency of 100 Hz, which yields a repetition time of 10 ms . If the car wash travels with a speed of max 0.35 meters/second, the travel distance between measurements is 3.5 mm. This fact gives two obvious advances :
• the system can deliver more current to the selected transmitter; witch gives a longer working distance or better immunity to dirt.
• the photo sensors are placed vertically in front of the car wash on the inside of the two machine legs. Their main purpose is to detect vehicles placed on a slant, and the side-view mirrors. The machine will stop before running into the car or its mirror.
• the four ultrasonic sensors are places above the legs of the machine on both sides.
• the sensors can be programmed differently depending on the car wash bay, on the test site the following ways are used:
• the left side looks at the floor, and if the floor somehow disappears, the sensor alarms. This means that if something is placed between the sensor and the floor or something directs the beam away from the return path, the sensor alarms.
• the right side looks at everything between the sensor and the floor. If the beam is directed away from its return path, nothing happens.
• the left side is more difficult to mount, it has to be nearly vertically mounted to ensure the echo from the floor.
• ultrasonic sensors are places in the foot of the machine BRUSH SIDE detecting if a person is standing in the front of the brushes.
• the ultrasonic sensors are all programmable from a
• the sensors have to be controlled by a PLC (programmable logic circuit) or equal, and thereby also interface the car wash.
• the PLC used in the test machine is a Siemens LOGO! With 12 inputs and 8 outputs. On the test machine six counters are mounted to monitor the errors while testing. Of course the photo sensors also need a photo amplifier.
• the wash start pulse is connected to the front port, and the wash end pulse is connected to the back port.
• the brush rotation detection is made by a current sensor attached to the main power of one of the vertical brushes. If those signals can be given directly to the PLC, some parts can be saved.
• Photo amplifier for 2, 4, or 6 sets of photocells.
• the safety system can be adapted on the carwash machine in the marked today and the test proves that the safety system is 100% secure.
• a new safety system has been invented for the carwash industry that will add a tremendous value to the industry protecting peoples and reducing damage to cars.
• thinking defiantly in order to achieve safety putting existing technology together in order to secure people and decrease damage to cars in carwash bays made it possible with a big effort to invent this safety system.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19913349

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (7)

Citations (6)

• 2002
  • 2002-02-19 NO NO20020824A patent/NO20020824L/no not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2003
  • 2003-02-19 WO PCT/NO2003/000063 patent/WO2003070531A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-02-19 AU AU2003208674A patent/AU2003208674A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (3)

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