JPH0255249B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a type of car wash machine in which various brushes are arranged in a gate-shaped car wash main body and automatically washes an automobile body according to a predetermined sequence. [Prior art and its problems] Generally, this type of car wash machine has a large number of drive devices and
Since it has mechanical parts, sensors, etc., in the event that a failure or abnormality occurs and repair is required, the reality is that half of the repair work is required to investigate the location of the failure and the cause of the abnormality. In particular, in the case of sensor-related failures or abnormalities, it is difficult to visually identify them, so individual inspection using an electric meter is required.
It used to be that a lot of time and effort was spent investigating the cause. On the other hand, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 145549/1982, a diagnostic routine for various sensors is executed during car washing operations to detect faulty sensor contacts, disconnections, etc.
Automatic car wash machines are known that can perform electrical checks for insulation defects. However, with these devices, it is wasteful to wash the car every time to inspect the sensor or check its operation after repair, and it is not possible to perform detailed checks on each sensor, making it difficult to adjust the sensing position and level. This caused some inconvenience. [Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made to address these problems, and includes a first mode in which the car wash operation is performed and a second mode in which the sensor is inspected separately from the car wash operation. mode setting means that can arbitrarily set the mode; an audio output section that outputs an audio signal at least in the second mode; and a control means, the control means being able to set the mode to the first mode. If it is set to the second mode, it is possible to accept car wash work on the operation panel, and when it is set to the second mode, it is enabled to perform inspection work by enabling manual operation of the brush, etc. When a predetermined sensing signal is output from the sensor as a result of this inspection work, the audio output unit is controlled to output an audio signal, so that the sensor inspection can be performed separately from the car wash operation, and adjustment work, etc. It has also been improved to make it easier. In the following embodiment, the mode setting means corresponds to the key switch 36 and the input key set 41, and the control means corresponds to the main control board 46 and the sub control board 49. Further, the first mode corresponds to the "operation" mode described below, and the second mode corresponds to the "sensor inspection" mode described below. [Example] Hereinafter, the example will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a front view and a perspective explanatory view showing the structure of an embodiment according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a car washing machine main body which is formed into a gate shape and has various brushes arranged inside, and is designed to run back and forth on a pair of rails 2 and 2' to wash the body of a car parked between the rails 2 and 2'. It is configured. Reference numerals 3 and 3' denote a pair of left and right side brushes, which are suspended from a brush rail 4 installed horizontally on the left and right sides of the top of the main body 1, and move while rotating on the rail 4 according to the shape of the car to be washed. Clean the sides of the car body. Reference numeral 5 denotes a top brush supported by a pair of swing arms 6 and 6' pivotally supported on both sides of the main body 1, which moves up and down according to the shape of the car to clean the top surface of the car body. Reference numerals 7 and 7' designate a pair of right and left rocker brushes provided on the lower halves of both sides of the main body 1, which are supported by swing arms 8 and 8' and move left and right, and are mainly used to clean the tires and the lower halves of the sides of the car body. 9 is a drying blower nozzle supported on the top of the main body 1, and a link arm 10
It moves up and down according to the shape of the car through
It blows high-pressure air onto the car body to scatter water droplets and accelerate drying. Reference numeral 11 denotes an operation panel provided on the front side of the main body 1, which includes a display device and an input board, and is used to operate and manage the operation of the main body 1, and the details will be described later. In addition, the main body 1 is provided with nozzle pipes (not particularly shown) for spraying water, detergent, and wax liquid respectively, and each spray is performed according to a predetermined sequence. Next, the sensors provided in each part of the car wash machine main body 1 will be explained. Reference numeral 12 denotes a running sensor installed at the bottom of the main body 1, which senses the protrusions 13 and 13' formed at the front and rear along the rails 2 and 2', respectively, and indicates the front and rear movement limit positions of the main body 1, and performs a switching operation. 1 detects the range in which it can run. Reference numeral 14 denotes a vehicle body detection sensor attached to the arms 15, 15' that suspend the side brushes 3, 3', and performs a switching operation by sensing when the side brushes are tilted back and forth in contact with the bumper of the car being cleaned. Detects the position of the front of the vehicle. Reference numerals 16 and 17 indicate side brush opening/closing sensors that are attached to the air cylinders 18 for opening and closing the side brushes 3 and 3', respectively, and are composed of reed switches that switch in response to magnets built into the pistons of the air cylinders. It moves on the rail 4 and detects opening and closing. Reference numerals 19 and 20 designate top brush up/down sensors installed on the sensor rod 21 which rotates together with the swing arms 6 and 6' of the top brush 5, and are composed of reed switches that respond to magnets built into the sensor rod 21. Detects elevation status. 22 is the Rocker brush 7, 7'
The rocker brush opening/closing sensor is provided on the air cylinder 23 that rotates the swing arms 8, 8', and is composed of a reed switch like the sensors 16, 17 described above, and detects the open/closed state of the rocker brush 7. A blower nozzle elevation sensor 24 is provided on the air cylinder 25 that drives the link arm 10 of the blower nozzle 9. Like the sensors 16, 17, and 22, it is composed of a reed switch and detects the elevation state of the blower nozzle. 2
A vehicle height abnormality sensor 6 is provided for the sub-link 27 of the nozzle 9, and performs switching by sensing when the vehicle body contacts the nozzle 9 and the nozzle tilts due to an abnormality in the vehicle height setting. Reference numeral 28 denotes a vehicle height sensor provided at the front top of the main body, and FIG. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the sensing operation of this vehicle height sensor. The vehicle height sensor 28 consists of an ultrasonic sensor that has an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver as a pair, and the receiver receives the reflector of the ultrasonic wave irradiated onto the vehicle body from the transmitter, and calculates the time from transmission to reception. Measure and detect the height of the car body to be cleaned. Here, the levels a to e are detected as shown in Figure 3, and "a: Car wash is not possible."
It can identify the type of car, such as ``b: wagon'', ``c: small wagon'', ``d: passenger car'', and ``e: empty car'', and it not only determines whether a car can be washed, but also automatically identifies the type of car. This makes it possible to control the car wash to be suitable for each person. Regarding this sensor, a vehicle height scale 52 indicating its detection level is also provided on the main body 1.
The inner wall surface is constructed to be convenient for inspection, which will be described later. Reference numerals 29 and 29' are vehicle type sensors that have a sensing rod protruding from the entrance of the main body 1, and determine whether or not the car can be washed by touching the sensing rod.It detects abnormalities in the width of the vehicle, uneven parking positions, etc. do. In addition, the pneumatic pipes and water pipes provided in the main body are each equipped with pressure sensors to sense the respective air and water pressures. FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view of the operation panel 11, in which a display device 30 is arranged above and an input board 31 is arranged below. The display device 30 is
It consists of an LCD display (liquid crystal display), and displays necessary data, operating procedures, etc. in an interactive format in response to input to the input board 31, and guides the user to perform car washing work and management according to his/her wishes. Each key on the input board 31 will be explained below. Reference numeral 32 denotes a car wash course selection button in which a different car wash sequence is set for each button, which are distinguished by the presence or absence of wax treatment, the speed of the car wash, etc., and can be selected according to the customer's preference. Reference numeral 33 denotes a manual operation button for manual avoidance in emergencies, etc., which opens and closes the side brushes 3 and 3', raises and lowers the top brush 5,
The main body 1 can be moved forward and backward manually.
34 is a start button for starting the car wash course selected and set using the selection button 32; 35 is a water drain button, and when this button is pressed, compressed air from the compressor is introduced into the water pipe to forcefully drain water, and each brush 3, 3', 5, 7, and 7' is rotated to drain water. . 36 is a key switch for turning on the power, and has two modes: "management" and "operation". In the "management" mode, the display 30 is mainly used to tally daily and monthly totals, and to perform start-up and end-of-work inspections. Manage the car wash machine, and perform the original car wash work in "drive" mode. 37 is the membership card insertion slot;
38 is a coin slot. Each of the buttons 32, 33, 34, and 35 has a built-in lamp, and the card insertion slot 3
7 and coin slot 38 have auxiliary lamps 39 and 40.
The lamps of the parts to be operated turn on or flash according to the operating procedure, and even customers who do not know how to operate the system can easily do so by operating the lamps in the order in which they light up or flash. The car wash machine is configured to be able to be operated. 41 is an input key set having a numeric keypad 42, a return key 43, a cursor key 44, and a confirmation key 45, respectively.
4 moves the cursor on the screen of the display device 30, the confirmation key 45 confirms and registers input data, and the return key 43 returns to the previous screen/mode.
Perform each operation input in "Management" mode. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control system of this embodiment, where 46 is the main control board, 47 is the output device such as motors and solenoid valves that drive each brush, nozzle, etc., and 48 is the output device for the output device 47. 49 is a sub-control board that exchanges signals with the display device 30 and input board 31; 50 is an input device consisting of each of the sensors described above; 54 is a sub-control board consisting of an electronic buzzer, etc. This is an audio output unit that receives a signal from the board 49 and outputs audio. Here, when the key switch 36 is set to the "driving" mode, when the desired car wash selection input is first performed on the input board 31, the stiffness input data is sent to the main control board 46 via the sub-control board 49. , the main control board 46 outputs an output signal corresponding to the input to the relay board 47 according to a programmed sequence to drive the car wash machine. Sensing signals from the input device 50 are input to the main control board 46 at any time, and the main control board 46 responds to the input signals.
Let's proceed with the program. In case of input device 50
When the main control board 46 detects that the signal from the main control board 46 indicates an abnormality, the relay board 47
In addition to outputting an emergency stop to the sub control board 4.
The abnormality detection signal is output to the sub control board 49.
Then, abnormality notification data corresponding to the signal is displayed on the display device 30. On the other hand, when set to "Manage" mode,
By performing a selection operation on the input board 31 guided by the display on the display device 30, management programs such as membership registration, aggregation, and inspection stored in the sub-control board 49 are read out, and the sub-control board is activated according to each program. The main control board 49 writes member data, etc. to the built-in memory, reads total data from the memory, and outputs operation to each output device 47 via the main control board 46, thereby enabling various management and inspections. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment, particularly in accordance with the present invention. The mode setting method and each mode will be explained below based on this flowchart. (See Table 1) (1) When the power is turned on by the key switch 36, it first detects whether the key switch is set to the "management" mode or the "driving" mode, and if it is in the "driving" mode, the car wash starts. Run the routine.

[Table] (2) If the key switch 36 is set to the "Management" mode, screen A is displayed on the display device 51, and the input instructions for this screen A are followed by selecting "membership registration" using the numeric keypad 42. If so, execute the membership registration routine.
In this routine, the car number, contract details, etc. of the car with which the membership contract has been entered are received and written into the memory of the sub-control board 49.When the corresponding membership card is inserted into the card insertion slot 37 at the time of car washing, This data is read out. (3) Based on Screen A, if there is an input to select "Total", execute the aggregation routine. This routine performs aggregation management of daily and monthly totals, and processes and reads monetary data, membership card reception data, etc. stored in the sub-control board 49 from time to time. (4) Based on screen A, if there is an input to select “inspection”, the inspection routine will begin, and first select screen B
According to the input instruction, if there is an input to select the start-up inspection on the numeric keypad 63, the start-up inspection routine is executed. In this routine, necessary inspection items are displayed at the beginning of each day's work, and guidance is given to perform inspection and confirmation work in accordance with these items. (5) Based on screen B, if there is an input to select "end-of-work inspection," the end-of-work inspection routine is executed. In this routine, necessary inspection items at the end of each day are displayed and guidance is given to perform inspection and confirmation work in accordance with these items. (6) If there is an input to select "drive section inspection" on screen B, the drive section inspection routine is executed. In this routine, each output device 47 such as a motor and solenoid valve is individually energized to rotate and open/close each brush, raise and lower the blower nozzle 9,
The operation of each part can be inspected by spraying water or liquid from the water pipe as desired. (7) If there is an input to select "sensor inspection" on screen B, first display selection screen C and request to input the type of sensor to be inspected. If there is an input to select "vehicle height sensor" on screen C, a vehicle height sensor inspection routine is executed. In this routine, display screen D
It is used to detect whether or not each sensing item of the vehicle height sensor 28 as shown in FIG. If you change the height of this reflector along the vehicle height scale 52, the audio output section 51 will output a different sound each time the height of the reflector changes, and the screen D will display the detected items among the displayed items. The corresponding item will be displayed blinking.
Notify the sensing operation of the sensor. To give an onomatopoeic example of the output sounds related to the detection of each item, "1. Can't wash the car" is "beep", "2. Wagon" is "beep beep", and "3. small wagon". For "4.Passenger car", it would be "beep beep beep"; for "6.error", it would be "beep beep beep". It is set so that the sensing operation of each level can be immediately determined. The error item on screen D indicates a case where the output side of the sensor 28 emits ultrasonic waves, but the input side does not receive them for a certain period of time. In this case, the sensor itself may be contaminated or malfunctioning. It will be done. (8) If there is an input to select "abnormal sensor" on screen C, execute the abnormal sensor inspection routine. In this routine, each sensor 1 other than vehicle height sensor 28 as shown in screen E1.2
2, 14, 26, 29, 29', 16, 17,
This is to detect whether or not the air cylinders 19, 20, 22, and 24 are operating normally.
If the air pressure is released from 3 and 25, each part can be moved manually, and the operator manually performs sensing operations according to each item such as opening/closing the brush, up/down, etc., this work will cause the corresponding sensor to function normally. Each time a sensing operation is performed, the audio output section 52 outputs a sound, and the detected item is notified by blinking on the screen E1.2. To explain the operation at this time, first, the operator manually performs inspection operations such as opening/closing and raising/lowering the brush. Accordingly, if any sensor of the input device 50 outputs a predetermined sensing signal, this sensing signal passes through the main control board 46 to the sub-control board 49, and the sub-control board 49 outputs an audio signal from the audio output section 51. At the same time, the corresponding item on the display device 30 corresponding to the sensor receiving the input is made to blink. Therefore, by inputting information on the input board 31 while being guided by the screen of the display device 30, it is possible to select various management modes in addition to car washing and perform management work. In particular, in the "Sensor Inspection" mode, if the mode is set on the screen, the operator can be notified of the presence or absence of normal sensing operation according to the inspection work performed on each sensor through audio output and screen display. . In addition, as shown in A, B, and C in the flowchart,
The system is configured to give priority to the car wash so that it always detects that the key switch 36 is switched to the driving mode during the selection operation, stops displaying the selection screen at any time, and shifts to the car wash routine. Also, return key 4
If you press 3, you can return to the previous state by one step as shown in (B) and (C), which is convenient for correcting selection operations, etc. [Effects of the Invention] The present invention is configured as described above, and in addition to the first mode in which car washing is performed, a second mode in which sensors are inspected can be set, and in this second mode, Automatically notifies you of the presence or absence of sensor sensing operation during sensor inspection work, so you can easily check the operation of each sensor without having to disassemble any instruments. The cause can be investigated extremely quickly. In addition, in the second mode for inspecting the sensors, you can easily check the sensing position of each sensor while performing inspection work by reporting the presence or absence of sensing operation of the sensor by voice, and you can also check the detection position of each sensor in detail regardless of the car wash operation. This has the advantage that the position and level at which the sensor detects and operates can be adjusted and corrected quickly and accurately. Furthermore, the second mode can be executed separately from the car wash operation, so there is no need to wash the car every time it is inspected, and there is less risk of the operator accidentally washing the car while inside the car wash machine.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front external view of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the structure of the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle height sensor sensing operation of the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged explanatory view showing the operation panel section of the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control system of the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the main operations of the embodiment. 1 is the car wash machine body, 3, 3' are the side brushes, 5
is a top brush, 7, 7' is a rocker brush, 1
1 is the operation panel, 12, 14, 16, 17, 1
9, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 2
9' are all sensors, 36 is a key switch as mode setting means, 46 and 49 are control boards as control means, and 51 is an audio output section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A car wash machine of a type that automatically washes an automobile body according to a predetermined sequence by disposing various brushes in a gate-shaped car wash main body, including the brushes mentioned above. In a vehicle equipped with a plurality of sensors that detect the operating status of each part, a mode setting that can arbitrarily set a first mode for car washing work and a second mode for inspecting the sensors separately from the car washing work. means, an audio output section that outputs an audio signal in at least the second mode, and a control means, wherein the control means performs a car wash operation on an operation panel when the first mode is set. If the second mode is set, the brush can be operated manually to enable inspection work, and the sensor A car wash machine characterized in that when a predetermined sensing signal is outputted, the audio output section is controlled to output an audio signal.