WO2006119990A1

WO2006119990A1 - Device and process for drying vehicles through air in a vehicle washing unit

Info

Publication number: WO2006119990A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/004415
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcelo De Silvio
Original assignee: Ceccato S.P.A.
Priority date: 2005-05-13
Filing date: 2006-05-11
Publication date: 2006-11-16
Also published as: ITMI20050863A1

Abstract

In the drying device (1) in a vehicle washing unit, of the type comprising at least one fixed side mouth (2) suitable for dispensing a side flow (14) of drying air and at least one horizontal mouth (3) that is mobile from the top to the bottom and vice-versa and suitable for dispensing a flow (15) from the top of drying air, on the front of the outlet port (5) of said side mouth (2) at least one conveyor (4) of at least part of said side flow (14) is forseen, mobile along said outlet port (5) of said side mouth (14) and having a downward deflection surface (6) of said at least one part of said side flow (14).

Description

DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR DRYING VEHICLES THROUGH AIR IN A VEHICLE WASHING UNIT.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a device and process for drying vehicles through air in a vehicle washing unit.

For some time drying devices have been on the market having fixed side mouths and vertically mobile horizontal mouths that dispense a flow of air for drying vehicles.

As known, according to the longitudinal profile of the vehicle, it may occur that the side flow be in excess and is wasted, when its height is greater than that of the section of the vehicle going by, or be too little and generates a non-uniform drying, when its height is less than that of the section of the vehicle going by.

In the fitting areas between the horizontal and side surfaces of vehicles the- side flow also generally tends to take the water upwards instead of downwards.

In order to avoid this phenomenon it has been thought of to tilt the side flow downwards by elongating the side mouth upwards, but the distance between the top of the mouth and the vehicle becomes prohibitive and has made the use of such a system unadvisable.

Moreover, the side flow, if it is close to the horizontal mouth, interferes with the vertical flow causing uncontrolled and undesired vortices that reduce the drying quality. This turbulent flow also interferes with the attachment elements of the system of photocells of the horizontal mouth, causing other vortices and a degree of noise.

When, on the other hand, the side mouths are far enough from the horizontal mouth so as not to create interference between the relative flows, given their bulk, they create problems in the distribution of the volumes especially if one wishes to have frontal access to the control panels arranged on the uprights of the gateway that has the drying device.

The bulk of the unit is also increased in the depth direction.

It has been proposed to use side mouths of intermediate height tending to be close to the horizontal mouth but without interference, however this has not solved the problems of bulk and of non-homogeneity in the drying quality between the different types of vehicles.

The technical task proposed of the present invention is, therefore, that of making a device and process for drying in a vehicle washing unit that allow the aforementioned technical drawbacks of the prior art to be eliminated.

In this technical task a purpose of the invention is that of making a device and process for drying in a vehicle washing unit that allow uniform drying for any type of vehicle.

Another purpose of the invention is that of making a drying device in a vehicle washing unit that solve the interference between the air flows using it instead to create a front of drying air distributed in accordance with the profile of the vehicle .

Another purpose of the invention is that of making a drying device in a vehicle washing unit that is overall not very bulky so as to simplify the distribution of the volumes in the gateway.

Another purpose of the invention is that of making a drying device in a vehicle washing unit that is efficient, silent, structurally simple, cost-effective and capable of operating with savings in resources and energy consumption.

The last but not least purpose of the invention is to make a drying device and process that do not leave dead drying points and that ensure correct drainage of the washing water.

The technical task, as well as these and other purposes, according to the present invention, are accomplished by making a drying device in a vehicle washing unit, of the type comprising at least one fixed side mouth suitable for dispensing a side flow of drying air and at least one horizontal mouth that is mobile from the top to the bottom and vice-versa and suitable for dispensing a flow from the top of drying air, characterised in that on the front of the outlet port of said side mouth at least one conveyor of at least part of said side flow is foreseen, mobile along said outlet port of said side mouth and having a downward deflection surface of said at least one part of said side flow. Other characteristics of the present invention are defined, moreover, in the other claims.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall become clearer from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the drying device and process according to the finding, illustrated for indicating and not limiting purposes in the attached drawings, in which:

- figure 1 schematically shows a plan view from above of the gateway of the vehicle washing unit that has a drying device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

- figure 2 is a side elevated view of the unit of figure 1 ;

- figure 3 is an enlarged view of the deflector of the side flow of the device of figure 1 ;

- figures 4a to 6b schematically illustrate the distribution of air flows during the drying of the different types of vehicles, in which each flow is represented with a different type of line.

With reference to the quoted figures, a drying device in a vehicle washing unit is shown, wholly indicated with reference numeral 1.

The drying device 1 comprises at least one and in particular two fixed side mouths 2 suitable for dispensing a side flow 14 of drying air and at least one horizontal mouth 3 that is mobile from the top to the bottom and vice-versa and suitable for dispensing a flow 15 from the top of drying air. On the front of the outlet port 5 of the side mouth 2 at least one conveyor 4 of at least part of the side flow is foreseen, mobile along the outlet port 5 and having a downward deflection surface 6 of the part 16 of the side flow travelling from it.

Advantageously, the air flow 16 dispensed by the conveyor 4 constructively combines with the air flow 15 dispensed by the horizontal mouth 3 and with the remaining air flow 14 dispensed directly from the side mouths 2, describing with them an overall dispensed front of drying air that follows the longitudinal shape of the vehicles 7.

The drying device 1 is preferably present in a gateway of the washing unit having opposite uprights 8 connected at the top by a cross-member 9.

The conveyor 4 has an inlet port that is shorter and has substantially the same width as that of the outlet port 5 of the side mouth 2 with which it is aligned and juxtaposed.

Moreover, the conveyor 4 has a substantially constant width equal to its inlet port 10.

The inlet port 10 of the conveyor 4 has a vertical main direction of extension, whereas its outlet port 11 has an inclined main direction of extension.

In an extremely advantageous way, the side mouth 2 has means for guiding the sliding from the top to the bottom and vice- versa of the horizontal mouth 3. Such guide means comprise at least one and in particular two longitudinal throats 12 of the outer surface of the side mouth 2 along which slides at least one wheel 13 (solution shown) or at least one slider (solution not shown) fixedly connected to the horizontal mouth 3.

The provision of such guide means on the one hand allows the special guides conventionally foreseen for the sliding of the horizontal mouth to be eliminated and on the other hand allows the side mouths to be brought as close as possible to the horizontal mouth 3 until they are taken laterally adjacent to one another.

The side mouths 2 and the horizontal mouth 3 thus brought together create interference between their air flows that is however used constructively, through the provision of the conveyor 4, to create a front of drying air distributed in accordance with the profile of the vehicles, and at the same time they simplify the distribution of the volumes in the gateway.

The conveyor 4, as illustrated, is supported by the horizontal mouth 3.

In particular, the conveyor 4 is rigidly connected to the horizontal mouth 3 with which it thus moves in a fixed manner .

Alternatively, the conveyor 4 can be connected to the horizontal mouth 3 through connection means (not shown) that are elastically yielding at least in the vertical direction. Such elastic means allow the conveyor 4 to move back slightly downwards when it intercepts the cross-member 9 of the gateway during the lifting of the horizontal mouth 3 and basically allow the horizontal mouth 3 to correctly reach its top limit switch.

For the same purpose, as an alternative or in combination with such elastic means, it is preferably foreseen that the bottom surface of the cross-member 9 of the gateway has a relief 17 for housing the conveyor 4 suitable indeed for allowing the horizontal mouth 3 to reach its top limit switch.

In a different embodiment (not shown) the conveyor 4 is autonomously supported by an upright 8 of the gateway and moved autonomously.

The conveyor 4 has a rod 18 for supporting the photocells 19 arranged on opposite sides of the horizontal mouth 3 for controlling its position.

More specifically, the support rod 18 is ^' arranged horizontally and is fixed mechanically in slots 20 of the conveyor 4.

The device 1 preferably also comprises a cover (not shown) arranged to close the variable portion 21 of the outlet port 5 of the side mouth 2 arranged above the conveyor 4.

In a particularly advantageous solution such a cover also constitutes the transmission element of the lifting control of the horizontal mouth 3. In this way the impeller (not shown) that generates the side flow 14 preferably works at a variable operating speed to partialise such a side flow 14 according to the size of the portion 22 of the outlet port 5 of the side mouth 2 arranged below the conveyor 4.

By doing so, the electrical energy consumption for the operation of the impeller is modified based upon the profile of the vehicle.

In practice, electrical energy is saved when the profile of the vehicle to be dried is low.

In a different embodiment of the present finding, should it be foreseen to use an impeller operating at a constant speed, the cover for closing the portion 21 of the outlet port 5 of the side mouth 2 arranged above the conveyor 4 would be eliminated, so that the flow rate of air dispensed by the side mouth 2 is kept constant, with the part of flow coming out above the conveyor 4 that does not interfere with the flow dispensed by the horizontal mouth 3.

The process for drying vehicles in a vehicle washing unit consists, as seen, of conveying at least part of the side flow dispensed by the side mouth 2 and deflecting it downwards to constructively combine it with the air flow dispensed by the horizontal mouth 3 and with the remaining air flow dispensed directly by the side mouth 2 so as to describe an overall dispensed front of drying air that follows the longitudinal shape of the vehicles. Moreover, the dispensing position of the flow from the top and of the part of the side flow passing through the conveyor with respect to the remaining side flow dispensed directly by the side mouth is adjusted so as to configure such a dispensing front in accordance with the differing longitudinal shape of the vehicles.

The drying device and process in a vehicle washing unit thus conceived can undergo numerous modifications and variations, all of which are covered by the inventive concept; moreover, all of the details can be replaced with technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the sizes, can be whatever according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Claims

1. Drying device in a vehicle washing unit, of the type comprising at least one fixed side mouth suitable for dispensing a side flow of drying air and at least one horizontal mouth that is mobile from the top to the bottom and vice-versa and suitable for dispensing a flow from the top of drying air, characterised in that on the front of the outlet port of said side mouth at least one conveyor of at least part of said side flow is foreseen, mobile along said outlet port of said side mouth and having a downward deflection surface of said at least one part of said side flow.

2. Drying device according to claim 1, characterised in that the air flow dispensed by said conveyor constructively combines with the air flow dispensed by said horizontal mouth and with the remaining air flow dispensed directly by said side mouth, describing with them an overall dispensed front of drying air that follows the longitudinal shape of said vehicles .

3. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said side mouth has means for guiding the sliding from top to bottom and vice-versa of said horizontal mouth.

4. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor has an inlet port of shorter length and substantially the same width as that of the outlet port of said side mouth with which it is aligned and juxtaposed.

5. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor has a substantially constant width equal to that of said inlet port .

6. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said guide means comprise at least one longitudinal throat of the outer surface of said side mouth along which slides a wheel or at least one slider fixedly connected to said horizontal mouth.

7. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said horizontal mouth and said side mouth are laterally adjacent.

8. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor is supported by said horizontal mouth.

9. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor is rigidly connected to said horizontal mouth with which it moves in a fixed manner.

10. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor is connected to said horizontal mouth through connection means elastically yielding at least in the vertical direction.

11. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor is autonomously supported by an upright of the gateway of said washing unit that has said drying device.

12. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that the bottom surface of the cross-member of the gateway of said washing unit that has said drying device has a relief for housing said conveyor suitable for allowing said horizontal mouth to reach the top limit switch.

13. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said conveyor has a rod for supporting the photocells arranged at the opposite sides of said horizontal mouth for controlling its position.

14. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that the portion of the outlet port of said side mouth arranged above said conveyor is closed by a cover.

15. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that said cover also constitutes the transmission element of the lifting command of said horizontal mouth.

16. Drying device according to one or more of the previous claims, characterised in that the impeller that generates said side flow works at a variable speed to partialise said side flow according to the portion of the outlet port of said side mouth arranged below said conveyor.

17. Vehicle washing unit characterised in that it has a drying device in accordance with one or more of the previous claims .

18. Process for drying vehicles in a vehicle washing unit in which the drying device is of the type comprising at least one fixed side mouth suitable for dispensing a side flow of drying air and at least one horizontal mouth that is mobile from the top to the bottom and vice-versa and suitable for dispensing a flow from the top of drying air, characterised in that it consists of conveying at least part of said side flow and deflecting it downwards to constructively combine it with the air flow dispensed by said horizontal mouth and with the remaining air flow dispensed directly by said side mouth so as to describe an overall dispensed front of drying air that follows the longitudinal shape of said vehicles.

19. Drying process according to the previous claim, characterised in that the dispensing position of said flow from the top and of said at least one part of said side flow with respect to said remaining side flow so as to configure said front in accordance with the longitudinal shape of said vehicles .