JPH0442217B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A. Purpose of the Invention (1) Industrial Field of Use The present invention provides a gate-type running frame that can reciprocate in the front and rear directions of a car wash machine, especially a car, and has an upper brush at the tip. A pivotally supported swinging arm is supported via a pivot so that it can swing back and forth, and a drive device capable of swinging the swinging arm is provided between the swinging arm and the portal traveling frame, During operation, this drive device moves the tip of the swinging arm forward if the upper brush is at the lower limit position directly below the pivot axis, and moves the tip of the swinging arm forward beyond a predetermined swing turning position behind the lower limit position. If so, the present invention relates to an operation control device for a top brush in a car wash machine in which the tips of swinging arms are respectively swung backwards.

(2) Prior Art The above-mentioned car wash machine has been known in the past, and it is said that the upper brush can be effectively applied to the car body surface both when the gate-shaped traveling frame is going forward and when going back, and the car wash work can be carried out efficiently. It has advantages. However, when using such a car wash machine to wash a car V' that has a protrusion 16 such as a rectifying plate on the rear upper surface of the car body as shown in FIG. There is a risk that the protrusion will bite into the protrusion and damage the car, so in order to eliminate this risk, conventionally,
When washing the automobile V' having the protrusion 16 mentioned above, a special switch is operated when the gate-shaped traveling frame is moving forward, and the upper brush is removed immediately after the end of the outward movement (at this time, the upper brush is removed as shown in Fig. 9a). By operating the drive device at the lower limit position, the upper brush is raised to the forward flip-up position shown in FIG. 9b, and then the go-around is started.

(3) Problems to be solved by the invention The above-mentioned conventional cleaning means does not remove the protrusions 16.
When cleaning a car V' with a gantry, the upper brush remains at the forward flip-up position b all the time when the gate-type traveling frame goes back, and it cannot act on the car body surface at all. There is a problem that the cleaning efficiency decreases accordingly. In addition, if you forget to operate the above-mentioned switch when going back and forth on the gate-shaped traveling frame, and then operate the switch in a hurry after the start of the return trip, for example, as shown in Fig. 9c, at the time of the operation, the top brush is In many cases, the driver is already too close to the vehicle V', and in such a situation, when the drive device is activated by operating the above switch and the upper brush is swung forward upward, it may hit the surface of the vehicle during the oscillation. Because there is a risk of damaging the protrusion 16, etc.,
In such a case, as soon as you realize that you forgot to operate the above switch, stop all functions of the car wash machine.
The problem is that the cleaning work has to be restarted from the beginning, resulting in a lot of wasted work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an operation control device for a top brush in a car wash machine that can solve all of the above problems.

B. Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a car wash machine of the type described above, in which the upper brush swings backward from the swing turning position. a detection mechanism that can detect; a control device that controls the operation of the drive device so that in response to the detection operation of the detection mechanism, the upper brush swings rearward to a rearward flip-up position where it can avoid an automobile; a switch capable of selectively switching the control device between an active state and a non-active state;
It is characterized by having the following.

(2) Effect When cleaning a car that has protrusions such as rectifying plates on the rear upper surface of the car body, it is sufficient to operate the above switch to switch the control device to the operating state in advance.
As a result, when the top brush contacts the rear surface of the vehicle body and swings to the swing turning position during a go-around of the gate-type traveling frame, the control device responds to the activation of the detection mechanism that detects this and activates the drive device. The upper brush is automatically swung backwards to the rear flip-up position so as to avoid the automobile, and the protrusion can be overcome without difficulty.

In addition, when washing a normal automobile without the protrusions, the control device may be switched to a non-operating state by operating a switch. In this case, the top brush does not take the avoidance action as described above, and A return cleaning is performed.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Each pair of wheels 3 is placed on a pair of left and right running rails 4 extending along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The gate-shaped traveling frame 2 is provided with a traveling drive device _M1 capable of driving one wheel 3, and the operation of this device _M1 causes the traveling frame 2 to travel along the traveling rail 4 in the longitudinal direction of the automobile. It is possible.

The gate-shaped traveling frame 2 is provided with a rotating brush device B, a drying device D, and a control panel C that controls the operation of these devices B and D. The rotating brush device B has a top brush 5 and a pair of left and right side brushes. 6.

The upper brush 5 is attached to a pair of left and right horizontal pivots 7 that are rotatably supported on the left and right sides of the gate-shaped traveling frame 2, respectively, in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) via a pair of left and right swinging arms A. Supported in a swingable manner. The pivot shaft 7 is fixed to each intermediate portion of both swinging arms A, and the support shaft 5a of the upper brush 5 is rotatably supported at each tip thereof. A prime mover _M2 is provided at the base end of one of the swinging arms A, and its output is transmitted to the support shaft 5a via a winding transmission mechanism (not shown) provided inside the swinging arm A. It is now being transmitted to A balance weight W is attached to the base end of the other swinging arm A.
is fixed, and an arm 8 is fixed to the outer end of the pivot shaft 7 connected to the other swinging arm A.
The tip of a piston rod 11 of an air cylinder 10, which is swingably supported 9 on the gate-shaped traveling frame 2, is pivotally connected 12. When the air cylinder 10 is extended, if the upper brush 5 is at the lower limit position directly below the pivot 7 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the tip of the swinging arm A is forced to swing forward (to the left in FIG. 1). As a result, the upper brush 5 is finally swingably held at the forward flip-up position 5' (FIG. 1). Further, when the upper brush 5 is located behind the lower limit position and behind the swing turning device 5o that aligns the axis of the air cylinder 10 with that of the arm 8, that is, the piston rod 11 and the arm 8
When the 12 points of pivot connection with the upper brush 5 are located behind the consideration point, the air cylinder 10 is extended to swing rearward, so that the upper brush 5 is eventually deflected backward. The air cylinder 10 and the arm 8 cooperate with each other to constitute a drive device 13 of the present invention, and its operation is controlled by a control panel C, which will be described later. Although not shown, the upper brush 5 is located between the pivot shaft 7 or the swing arm A and the traveling frame 2 at each of the above-mentioned flip-up positions 5',
Appropriate rocking restriction means are provided to prevent rocking above 5''.

The weight of the balance weight W is set so that when the air cylinder 10 is inactive, the upper brush 5 hangs down due to its own weight and is held at the lower limit position. When the cylinder 10 is inactive, the upper brush 5
When it receives contact pressure with the top surface of the vehicle, it can swing back and forth appropriately depending on the shape of the top surface.

A cam 15 is fixed to one of the pivot shafts 7, and a limit switch LS is provided on the gate-shaped traveling frame 2 in correspondence with the cam 15. Limit switch LS is
Only when the upper brush 5 is located behind the swing turning device 5o, it engages with the large-diameter arcuate surface 15a of the cam 15, becomes activated, and sends a detection signal to the control device 14 described below. The switch SL and the cam 15 cooperate with each other to constitute the detection mechanism S of the present invention.

The control panel C includes a control for controlling the operation of the drive device 13 in order to cause the upper brush 5 to take a predetermined action to avoid the protrusions when cleaning an automobile that has protrusions such as a rectifying plate on the rear upper surface of the vehicle body. A switch Sw is provided that can selectively switch the device 14 and its control device 14 between an active state and a non-active state.

Note that the side brush 6 and the drying device D are conventionally known ones, so their explanation will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the embodiment described above will be explained with reference mainly to FIGS. 3 to 5.

First, as shown by the solid line in Figure 3, both running rails 4
When the gate-shaped traveling frame 2 is positioned in front of the stopped automobile V (the left end position in FIG. 3), when the start switch (not shown) on the control panel C is pressed, the air cylinder 10 is deactivated ( At the same time, drive the prime mover _M2 to rotate the upper brush 5 counterclockwise, and then drive the travel drive device _M1 to move the travel frame 2 backward (free). As a result, the upper surface brush 5 can brush the upper surface of the automobile V while swinging forward of the gate-shaped traveling frame 2 according to the upper surface shape of the automobile V. When the traveling frame 2 further travels and the upper brush 5 separates from the vehicle body surface, the upper brush 5 is held at the lower limit position by its own weight, and the traveling frame 2 reaches the rear end position (the right end position in FIG. 3) and stops.

Next, while holding the upper brush 5 at the lower limit position, the prime mover _M2 is reversed to rotate the upper brush 5 clockwise, and the traveling drive device _M1 is reversely driven to cause the traveling frame 2 to travel forward. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper brush 5 can brush the upper surface of the vehicle V while swinging toward the rear of the traveling frame 2 according to the shape of the upper surface of the vehicle V. When the traveling frame 2 further travels and the upper brush 5 separates from the vehicle body surface, the upper brush 5 is held at the lower limit position again by its own weight, and the traveling frame 2 is at the front end position (left end position in Figure 3).
The brushing process is completed when it reaches . The above is a typical brushing process for a motor vehicle, and in this case, the switch Sw is kept at the position that keeps the control device 14 in an inoperative state.

By the way, when cleaning an automobile V' having a protrusion 16 such as a rectifying plate on the rear upper surface of the vehicle body as shown in FIG. Before it bites into the protrusion 16, the switch Sw is operated to switch the control device 14 from an inactive state to an active state. As a result, when the traveling frame 2 goes back, the upper brush 5 contacts the upper surface of the vehicle body and swings backward, and when it passes the swing turning device 5o, the limit switch LS engages with the large diameter arcuate surface 15a of the cam 15. Then, a detection signal is sent to the control device 14 in the control panel C. As a result, the control device 14 immediately stops the traveling drive device M ₁ and the prime mover M ₂ and stops the traveling frame 2 from traveling in the opposite direction and the upper brush 5 .
At the same time, the air cylinder 10 is extended and the upper brush 5 is swung upwardly via the swing arm A to the rear flip-up position 5''.The upper brush 5 is flipped backward. When another limit switch (not shown) detects that the limit switch has risen to position 5'', a timer (not shown) in the control device 14 starts operating based on the detection signal, and driving of the traveling drive device _M1 is restarted. Travel frame 2 resumes its go-around. Then, after a certain period of time has elapsed, the prime mover M ₂ is driven clockwise again by the operation of the timer, and the upper brush 5 starts rotating in the same direction, and the air cylinder 10 becomes inactive (free) and the upper brush 5 is rotated. is lowered until it comes into contact with the upper surface of the vehicle body, and the brushing by the upper surface brush 5 during the go-around is thereby resumed. In this way, the upper brush 5 can easily and accurately get over the protrusion 16, so there is no risk of damaging the protrusion 16, and moreover, the upper brush 5 can be moved over the protrusion 16 even when going back.
can be effectively applied to the vehicle body surface.

In addition, when cleaning a car whose rear end surface is generally vertical, the same procedure as above is applied.
By simply operating the switch Sw to activate the control device 14 in advance, the upper brush 5 can easily ride onto the ceiling from the rear end of the vehicle body when the traveling frame 2 is going back. It can be operated effectively even when the traveling frame 2 is going back.

Also shown in FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of the invention. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment only in the structure of the drive device 13. That is, the drive device 13 includes an air cylinder 10 pivotally supported 9 on the gate-shaped traveling frame 2, and an arm 8 pivotally connected 12 to the tip of the piston rod 11 of the cylinder 10.
, an intermediate shaft 17 fixed to this arm 8 and rotatably supported by the portal traveling frame 2, and this intermediate shaft 1
7 and a chain transmission mechanism 18 that interlocks and connects the pivot shaft 7 of the swing arm A. Therefore, when the air cylinder 10 is extended, the intermediate shaft 17 can be forcibly rotated via the arm 8, and furthermore, the pivot shaft 7 and hence the swinging arm A can be forcibly swung back and forth via the chain transmission mechanism 18. . Incidentally, one of the pivot shafts 7 is provided with a detection mechanism S similar to that of the previous embodiment, although not shown. Therefore, air cylinder 10
The relationship between the swing turning position 5o of the upper brush 5 and the swing direction during the extension operation and the operation timing of the detection mechanism S are completely the same as in the previous embodiment.

Further, FIGS. 7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in the structure of the drive device 13, the support structure of the pivot 7, and the location where the detection mechanism S is provided. That is, a pair of left and right horizontal support shafts 19 are rotatably supported on both left and right sides of the gate-shaped traveling frame 2, and base ends of a pair of left and right support arms 20 are supported on these shafts 19 so as to be able to swing up and down. The pivot shaft 7 of the swing arm A is rotatably supported at the tips of the support arms 20. One of the support shafts 19 and the pivot shaft 7 are interlocked and connected via a chain transmission mechanism 18' in which drive sprockets w ₁ and w ₂ have the same number of teeth, that is, a transmission ratio of 1:1.
Further, an arm 8 is fixed to one end of one of the support shafts 19, and the arm 8 is pivotally connected 12 to the tip of a piston rod 11 of a first air cylinder 10 which is pivotably supported 9 on the portal traveling frame 2. Furthermore, a cam 15 of a detection mechanism S is provided at the other end of the support shaft 19, and a limit switch that cooperates with this cam 15 is provided.
The LS is provided in the running frame 2. The tips of piston rods 23 of a pair of second air cylinders 22, which are pivotably supported 21 on both left and right sides of the gate-shaped traveling frame 2, are pivotally connected 24 to the intermediate portions of the pair of left and right support arms 20. . The gate-shaped traveling frame 2 is provided with stoppers 25, 2 that can engage with the arm 8 and restrict its rotation.
6, and stoppers 27 and 28 that can engage with the support arm 20 and restrict its swinging are fixedly provided. In this embodiment, the first air cylinder 10, arm 8, and chain transmission mechanism 18' cooperate with each other to constitute a drive device 13, and its operation is similar to that of the drive device 13 of the second embodiment. . In particular, in this embodiment, when the second air cylinder 22 is inactive, the support arm 22
0 is held at the lower limit position shown by the solid line in FIG. The height can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the ceiling height of the vehicle to be cleaned. In this adjustment, since the chain transmission mechanism 18' has a transmission ratio of 1:1 and functions similarly to a parallel link mechanism, the swinging arm A moves vertically in parallel without changing its inclination.

In each of the embodiments described above, the same effect can be obtained whether the pivot 7 of the swing arm A is higher or lower than the vehicle height of the automobile to be washed.

In addition, in each embodiment, after the upper brush is automatically swung backward from the swing turning position to the rear flip-up position, the upper brush is held at the rear flip-up position for a certain period of time, and then the upper brush is lowered. However, in the present invention, after the upper brush is automatically swung backwards from the swing turning position to the rear flip-up position, it can be held at the rear flip-up position until the gate-shaped traveling frame completes the go-around. good.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, a swinging arm having an upper surface brush pivotally supported at its tip can be swung back and forth in a gate-shaped traveling frame that can reciprocate in the front and back directions across the vehicle. A driving device is provided between the swinging arm and the gate-shaped traveling frame, and is capable of swinging the swinging arm. If the brush is at the lower limit position directly below the axis, the tip of the swinging arm swings forward, and if the brush is behind a predetermined swing turning position behind the lower limit position, the tip of the swinging arm swings backward. a detection mechanism capable of detecting that the top brush has swung backward from the swing turning position; the top brush can avoid the automobile in response to the detection operation of the detection mechanism; A control device that controls the operation of the drive device so as to swing rearward to a rearward flip-up position; and a switch that can selectively switch the control device between an operating state and a non-operating state; When cleaning a car that has protrusions such as rectifying plates on the upper rear surface of the car,
By simply operating the switch and switching the control device to the operating state, it is possible to automatically cause the upper brush to take a predetermined action to avoid the protrusion when the gate-shaped traveling frame goes back. In particular, the avoidance operation is such that when the upper brush swings to the swing turning position due to contact with the rear surface of the vehicle body, the drive device automatically swings the brush backward to the rear flip-up position. The top brush can easily and accurately get over the protrusion, and the top brush can be effectively applied to the vehicle body surface at least until it reaches the swing turning position, improving cleaning efficiency. It can also contribute to

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 5 show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of main parts, FIGS. 3 to 5 are operational views, and FIG. The figure is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 and 8 are longitudinal cross-sectional views showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view, and FIG. 9 is an operational view of a conventional example. A...Swinging arm, S...Detection mechanism, Sw...Switch, V, V'...Car, 1...Car wash machine, 2...
...Gate type traveling frame, 5...Top surface brush, 5''...Rear flip-up position, 5o...Swing turning device, 7...Pivot, 13...Driving device, 14...Control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A swinging arm with an upper surface brush supported at its tip is supported via a pivot shaft so as to be able to swing back and forth in a gate-shaped traveling frame that can straddle the vehicle and travel back and forth in the front and rear directions. A drive device capable of swinging the swinging arm is provided between the gate-shaped traveling frame, and this drive device moves the tip of the swinging arm when the upper brush is at the lower limit position directly below the pivot axis during operation. forward,
Further, in a car wash machine in which the tips of the swinging arms are respectively swung rearward if the brush is located behind a predetermined swing turning position which is behind the lower limit position, the upper brush is further away from the swing turning position. a detection mechanism capable of detecting that the top brush has swung rearward; and the drive device is configured to swivel rearward to a rearward flip-up position where the upper brush can avoid an automobile in response to the detection operation of the detection mechanism. 1. An operation control device for a top brush in a car wash machine, comprising: a control device that controls the operation; and a switch that can selectively switch the control device between an activated state and a non-activated state.