Car washing machine

Abstract

To provide a car washing machine having a structure easy to add a side brush.SOLUTION: The body (1) includes a top brush (4), a rail (30) surrounding the top brush (4) in a plan view, a moving portion (40) configured to move along the rail (30), and a side brush (5) connected to the moving portion (40) and configured to clean a side surface of the vehicle (CA) to be cleaned by relative movement of the body (1) and to clean a front surface (CAf) and a rear surface (CAb) of the vehicle (CA) to be cleaned by movement of the moving portion (40).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a car wash. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional car wash machine is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The car wash machine described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a movement mechanism that moves the side brushes using a chain that runs around the periphery of the top brush and a sprocket around which the chain is wound. This car wash machine can reduce the required installation space in the direction of movement of the car wash machine body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-116997 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, it is necessary to attach a chain and a sprocket to the car wash machine body every time a side brush is added, and the structure makes it difficult to add side brushes.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a car wash machine with a structure that makes it easy to add side brushes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a car wash machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a car wash machine having a main body that moves relatively in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the vehicle to be washed, wherein the main body comprises a top brush that cleans the top surface of the vehicle to be washed, a rail that surrounds the top brush in a planar view, a moving part that has drive wheels that run on the rail and moves along the rail, and a side brush connected to the moving part that cleans the side of the vehicle to be washed by relative movement of the main body and cleans the front and rear of the vehicle to be washed by movement of the moving part. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a car wash machine having a structure that makes it easy to add side brushes can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a car wash machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the main body shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of the main body shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a moving unit that moves the side brush. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the moving part shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the moving part shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a drive shaft to which a drive wheel is attached. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the movement of the car wash machine and the side brushes. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the movement of the car wash machine and the side brushes. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the movement of the car wash machine and the side brushes. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the movement of the car wash machine and the side brushes. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that the following description is an example of a car wash machine according to the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0010] [Car wash machine structure] First, the overall structure of the car wash machine according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a side view of the car wash machine WA according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a front view of a main body 1 provided in the car wash machine WA.

[0011] In the following description relating to Figure 1, the front-to-rear direction of the car wash machine WA and the vehicle to be washed CA represents the left-to-right lateral direction in Figure 1, and the left-to-right lateral direction (width direction) of the car wash machine WA and the vehicle to be washed CA represents the depth direction of the paper in Figure 1. Similarly, in the following description relating to Figure 2, the front-to-rear direction of the car wash machine WA (vehicle to be washed CA) represents the depth direction of the paper in Figure 2, and the left-to-right lateral direction (width direction) of the car wash machine WA (vehicle to be washed CA) represents the left-to-right lateral direction in Figure 2.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the car wash machine WA includes a main body 1, a main body rail 2, and a remote panel 7A. The main body 1 has two opposing side walls 1S extending vertically, and a ceiling 1T extending laterally to the left and right of the main body 1 and connecting the upper ends of the two side walls 1S, forming a gate-like structure. The main body 1 has openings 1A in the left and right side walls 1S. Side brushes 5 can move into and out of the main body 1 through these openings 1A.

[0013] A pair of main body rails 2 are provided on the ground, one on the left and one on the right, and wheels 3 provided on the bottom surfaces of the two side wall portions 1S of the main body unit 1 are placed on the main body rails 2. As a result, the main body unit 1 is installed on the main body rails 2 and travels on the main body rails 2 by driving a travel motor (not shown), moving in the front-to-back direction relative to the vehicle CA to be washed. At this time, the main body unit 1 allows the vehicle CA to enter the interior of the main body unit 1, with the right side in Figure 1 and the front in Figure 2 being the entrance side 1e, and allows the vehicle CA to exit the interior of the main body unit 1, with the left side in Figure 1 being the exit side 1x. The main body unit 1 moves back and forth in the front-to-back direction and returns to its initial position. The main body unit 1 may wash the vehicle CA to be washed during its reciprocating movement.

[0014] Here, the surface of the vehicle CA to be washed facing the entrance side 1e of the main body 1 (the left end of the vehicle CA to be washed in Figure 1) is referred to as the front surface CAf of the vehicle CA to be washed, and the opposite surface (the right end of the vehicle CA to be washed in Figure 1) is referred to as the rear surface CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0015] The remote panel 7A is installed along the entry path of the main body 1. For example, a user can park the vehicle CA to be washed in front of the remote panel 7A and operate the remote panel 7A from inside the vehicle CA to set the car wash conditions.

[0016] The buttons on the operation section (not shown) of the remote panel 7A can be used to set the car wash conditions using liquids used for shampooing, waxing, water-repellent coating, etc. It is also possible to set the equipment of the vehicle CA to be washed, such as whether it has a front guard, fender poles, side mirrors, a rear wiper, a roof carrier, etc.

[0017] A tank storage section 17 is disposed on the side of the main body 1, and stores multiple storage tanks that store various liquid agents such as detergent or wax. A distribution piping section 18 that distributes city water and the liquid agents from each storage tank is provided above the tank storage section 17. The distribution piping section 18 is connected to the first water purification nozzle 11, the first detergent nozzle 12, and the second water purification nozzle, second detergent nozzle, water-repellent coating nozzle, and wax nozzle (not shown) via electromagnetic valves, respectively.

[0018] The first water purification nozzle 11 and the second water purification nozzle are respectively arranged on the entrance side 1e and the exit side 1x of the main body 1 for the vehicle CA to be washed, and spray city water onto the vehicle CA to be washed. The first detergent nozzle 12 and the second detergent nozzle are respectively arranged on the entrance side 1e and the exit side 1x of the main body 1 for the vehicle CA to be washed, and spray cleaning liquid such as shampoo onto the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0019] The water-repellent coating nozzle and wax nozzle are disposed at the rear of the main body 1. The water-repellent coating nozzle sprays a water-repellent coating liquid onto the vehicle CA to be washed. The wax nozzle sprays a wax liquid onto the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0020] The main body 1 is also provided with a blower 20 that generates an airflow to dry the vehicle CA to be washed. A top air blowing nozzle 21 and a side air blowing nozzle 22 are connected to the blower 20. The top air blowing nozzle 21 is provided at the top of the main body 1 and blows air toward the top surface of the vehicle CA to be washed. The side air blowing nozzles 22 are provided on both the left and right sides of the main body 1 and blow air toward the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed. The air blown by the top air blowing nozzle 21 and the side air blowing nozzle 22 dries the surface of the vehicle CA to be washed after washing.

[0021] Vehicle shape sensors 8 and 9 are provided on the upper front and sides of the main body 1. The vehicle shape sensors 8 and 9 consist of photoelectric sensors, ultrasonic sensors, etc., and detect the outer shape of the vehicle CA to be washed entering the main body 1. This determines the initial position of each rotating brush and the travel range of the main body 1.

[0022] An operation panel 7 is disposed on the front of one side wall 1S of the main body 1. The operation panel 7 has an operation section (not shown) for setting the car wash conditions, similar to the remote panel 7A, and can be operated by a user or the like who has exited the vehicle CA to be washed to accept the car wash, set the car wash conditions, etc.

[0023] The main body 1 is provided with multiple rotating brushes that slide over the surface of the vehicle CA to be washed to brush it. The rotating brushes include a top brush 4, a side brush 5, and a rocker brush 6. The main body 1 is also provided with a moving mechanism 10 that moves the side brushes 5. The moving mechanism 10 includes an annular rail 30 provided on the main body 1 and a moving unit 40 that supports the side brushes 5 and moves them along the rail 30.

[0024] One top brush 4 is disposed on the upper part of the main body 1. The top brush 4 moves up and down in the main body 1 to clean the upper surface of the vehicle CA to be cleaned.

[0025] Two pairs of side brushes 5 are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 1 (see Figure 3). The side brushes 5 are connected to a moving unit 40 that moves on rails 30. The side brushes 5 move in the front-to-back direction due to the relative movement of the main body 1, and clean the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed. The side brushes 5 also move in the left-to-right lateral direction by the moving unit 40, and clean the front CAf and rear CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed. Details of the moving mechanism 10 that moves the side brushes 5 will be described later.

[0026] A pair of rocker brushes 6 are arranged on the left and right sides of the main body 1. The rocker brushes 6 clean the lower parts of the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed by the relative movement of the main body 1.

[0027] In the car wash machine WA configured as described above, a user drives the vehicle CA to be washed, stops it in front of the remote panel 7A, and sets the desired car wash conditions from inside the vehicle CA to be washed. At this time, the user first pays the fee for the car wash by inserting money or a card into the remote panel 7A. Next, the user sets the desired car wash conditions and receives change, a card, a receipt, etc. Then, the user moves the vehicle CA to be washed to the specified start position for the car wash. The car wash machine WA then washes the vehicle CA to be washed based on the set car wash conditions.

[0028] [Structure of the moving mechanism] Next, the moving mechanism 10 that moves the side brush 5 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 7 in addition to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 3 is a top view of the main body 1 shown in Figure 2.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, a total of four side brushes 5 are arranged in two pairs on the left and right sides of the main body 1. The four side brushes 5 move on the rails 30 in conjunction with the relative movement of the main body 1, and are designed to clean the front CAf, both side surfaces and rear CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0030] A moving mechanism 10 for moving the side brushes 5 is provided on the upper part of the main body 1. The moving mechanism 10 is capable of moving the side brushes 5 between the entrance side 1e and the exit side 1x of the main body 1 relative to the top brush 4. The moving mechanism 10 includes an annular rail 30 and a moving unit 40 that holds the side brushes 5 and moves along the rail 30.

[0031] The rail 30 is installed horizontally on the ceiling portion 1T of the main body 1. The rail 30 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the top brush 4 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the rail 30 has an elliptical shape including a pair of straight portions 30A parallel to the rotation axis 4A of the top brush 4 in a plan view, and a pair of curved portions 30B connecting adjacent ends of the pair of straight portions 30A.

[0032] The rail 30 is disposed through an opening 1A formed in the side wall 1S of the main body 1. As a result, the straight portion 30A on the exit side 1x of the pair of straight portions 30A is disposed inside the main body 1. On the other hand, the straight portion 30A on the entrance side 1e of the pair of straight portions 30A and the pair of curved portions 30B are disposed outside the main body 1.

[0033] The moving parts 40 are provided for each side brush 5, and each of them can move individually along the rail 30 while supporting the side brush 5.

[0034] 4 to 6 are perspective views showing the moving unit 40. Fig. 4 is a side perspective view of the moving unit 40. Fig. 5 is an upper perspective view of the moving unit 40. Fig. 5 is a lower perspective view of the moving unit 40.

[0035] 4 to 6, the rail 30 includes, at its upper portion, a traveling rail 31 on which the drive wheels 43 of the moving unit 40 run. The rail 30 also includes, at its lower portion, a guide rail 32 on which the first guide wheel 46 and a pair of second guide wheels 47 of the moving unit 40 abut.

[0036] The moving unit 40 is detachably attached to the rail 30. The moving unit 40 includes a traveling vehicle 41 that moves on the rail 30, and a brush support unit 42 that is connected to the traveling vehicle 41.

[0037] The traveling vehicle 41 includes drive wheels 43 that travel on the traveling rails 31 of the rail 30, and a drive motor M1 that drives the drive wheels 43. The drive wheels 43 are journaled on both ends of a drive shaft 44 that is arranged with its axial direction horizontal. The drive wheels 43 travel on the traveling rails 31 of the rail 30 by being driven by the drive motor M1. The traveling rail 31 has a convex portion in the center, and the convex portion of the traveling rail 31 is positioned between the pair of drive wheels 43. This allows the drive wheels 43 to travel stably on the traveling rails 31.

[0038] 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the drive shaft 44 to which the drive wheel 43 is attached. As shown in FIG. 7, the traveling vehicle 41 may have a bearing 45 provided between the drive wheel 43 and the drive shaft 44 to allow the drive wheel 43 to tilt relative to the drive shaft 44.

[0039] As described above, the rail 30 has an oval shape that combines a pair of straight sections 30A and a pair of curved sections 30B. Therefore, when the traveling vehicle 41 moves along the curved section 30B, a load is generated in a direction that causes the drive wheels 43 to tilt relative to the drive axle 44. Therefore, the traveling vehicle 41 has a bearing 45 that allows the drive wheels 43 to tilt relative to the drive axle 44, and the drive wheels 43 are attached to the drive axle 44 via this bearing 45. This allows the drive wheels 43 to travel stably along the curved section 30B of the circular rail 30.

[0040] The bearing 45 may be, for example, a ball bearing including an outer ring 451 to which the drive wheel 43 is attached, an inner ring 452 to which the drive shaft 44 is attached, and a gauge 453 arranged between the outer ring 451 and the inner ring 452 and having multiple balls B arranged circumferentially.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , the traveling vehicle 41 includes a first guide wheel 46 that travels on the guide rail 32 of the rail 30, and a pair of second guide wheels 47. The first guide wheel 46 is journaled with its rotation axis oriented horizontally, and is provided in contact with the lower surface 32A of the guide rail 32 of the rail 30. As a result, the first guide wheel 46 rolls on the lower surface 32A of the guide rail 32. The pair of second guide wheels 47 are journaled with their rotation axis oriented vertically, and are provided in contact with the side surface 32B of the guide rail 32, with the guide rail 32 sandwiched between them. As a result, the pair of second guide wheels 47 roll on the side surface 32B of the guide rail 32.

[0042] The brush support part 42 is connected to the traveling vehicle 41 and supports the side brush 5. The brush support part 42 rotatably supports the rotation shaft 5A of the side brush 5. The brush support part 42 includes a rotation motor M2 that drives the rotation shaft 5A. Driven by the rotation motor M2, the side brush 5 rotates around the rotation shaft 5A, which extends vertically.

[0043] In this way, the movement mechanism 10 is configured to move the side brushes 5 along the rails 30 using the movement units 40 that are detachably attached to the rails 30. Therefore, by providing the rails 30 with movement units 40 corresponding to the number of side brushes 5, it is possible to add more side brushes 5. Therefore, in the main body 1, it is not necessary to provide a chain and sprockets each time a side brush 5 is added, as in the conventional case, making it easy to add more side brushes 5.

[0044] [Car wash operation] Next, the operation of the car wash machine WA will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. Figures 8 to 11 are top views illustrating the movement of the car wash machine WA and the side brushes 5. In the following description, of the four side brushes 5 aligned laterally on the left and right of the car wash machine WA in the initial state at the start of washing shown in Figure 8, the two inner side brushes 5 located inside the main body 1 may be referred to as a pair of side brushes 51, and the two outer side brushes 5 located outside the main body 1 may be referred to as a pair of side brushes 52.

[0045] As shown in Figure 8, at the start of the car wash, the user moves the vehicle CA to a predetermined start position. In this initial state, the four side brushes 5 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the exit side 1x of the rail 30. Specifically, of the four side brushes 5, the two inner brushes are arranged on the straight portion 30A of the rail 30 inside the main body 1, and the two outer brushes are arranged on the curved portion 30B of the rail 30 outside the main body 1.

[0046] In the following description, in the initial state shown in Figure 8, the two inner side brushes 5 placed inside the main body 1 may be referred to as a pair of side brushes 51, and the two outer side brushes 5 placed outside the main body 1 may be referred to as a pair of side brushes 52.

[0047] After the start of the car wash, as shown in FIG. 9, the main body 1 starts moving from the start position of the car wash toward the rear of the vehicle CA to be washed. The main body 1 moves rearward at predetermined intervals in conjunction with the movement of the top brush 4 and side brushes 5. The top brush 4 then descends to wash the top surface of the vehicle CA to be washed. In addition, a pair of side brushes 51 move laterally left and right along the straight section 30A on the exit side 1x to wash the front CAf of the vehicle CA to be washed. Furthermore, a pair of side brushes 52 move through the curved section 30B of the rail 30 to the straight section 30A on the entrance side 1e to wash the side of the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0048] Next, as shown in Figure 10, the main body 1 moves further toward the rear of the vehicle CA to be washed and then stops. While the main body 1 moves toward the rear of the vehicle CA to be washed, the top brush 4 cleans the top surface of the vehicle CA to be washed, and the pair of side brushes 51 clean the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed. Then, after the main body 1 stops, the pair of side brushes 52 move laterally left and right along the straight section 30A on the entrance side 1e to clean the rear surface CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 11, the main body 1 moves further toward the rear of the vehicle CA to be washed. At this time, the top brush 4 cleans the top surface of the vehicle CA to be washed, and the pair of side brushes 51 clean the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed. In addition, the pair of side brushes 52 move away from the rear surface CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed.

[0050] Thereafter, when the pair of side brushes 51 moves rearward beyond the rear surface CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed, the main body 1 stops moving rearward.

[0051] In this way, the four side brushes 5 of the main body 1 move on the rails 30 in conjunction with the relative movement of the main body 1, cleaning the front CAf, both side faces, and rear CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed. This improves the cleaning efficiency of the car wash machine WA. However, the number of side brushes 5 provided on the main body 1 is not particularly limited, and may be one or more.

[0052] When the moving part 40 is located at the curved part 30B of the rail 30, the side brush 5 may be configured to be spaced apart from the vehicle CA to be washed. As a result, when the moving part 40 is located at the curved part 30B, the side brush 5 is positioned in a retracted position spaced apart from the vehicle CA to be washed, so that the side brush 5 does not interfere with the opening and closing of the door, making it easier for users to get in and out of the vehicle.

[0053] Furthermore, when the moving section 40 is located on the curved section 30B of the rail 30, the side brush 5 may be configured to stop rotating about the rotation axis 5A of the side brush 5. This allows the rotation of the side brush 5 to stop while the side brush 5 is separated from the vehicle CA to be washed, for example, thereby improving safety.

[0054] In this case, the main body 1 may further include a sensor (detection unit) that detects the position of the side brush 5. The method for detecting the position of the side brush 5 is not particularly limited. Examples of methods for detecting the position of the side brush 5 include attaching a sensor that detects pulses generated by the rail 30 to the moving unit 40, attaching a position detection sensor (laser sensor, pulse sensor, etc.) to the rail 30, attaching a load sensor or strain sensor to the rail 30, attaching a strain sensor to a support member that supports the moving unit 40 that moves on the rail 30, and attaching a sensor such as a rotary encoder to the bearing 45 of the moving unit 40.

[0055] [Effects of car washes] In this way, the car wash machine WA has a main body 1 that moves in the front-to-rear direction relative to the vehicle CA to be washed. The main body 1 includes a top brush 4 that cleans the top surface of the vehicle CA to be washed, a rail 30 that surrounds the periphery of the top brush 4 in a plan view, a moving part 40 that has drive wheels 43 that run on the rail 30 and moves along the rail 30, and side brushes 5 that are connected to the moving part 40 and clean the sides of the vehicle CA to be washed by the relative movement of the main body 1, and clean the front CAf and rear CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed by the movement of the moving part 40.

[0056] In this embodiment, the side brushes 5 are moved by the moving parts 40 that move along the rails 30, so that it is possible to add side brushes 5 by providing the rails 30 with the number of moving parts 40 corresponding to the number of side brushes 5. This eliminates the need to provide a chain, sprockets, etc. each time a side brush 5 is added, as in the past. Therefore, this embodiment can provide a car wash WA with a structure that makes it easy to add side brushes 5.

[0057] The present disclosure can be applied to a car wash machine in which the main body 1 moves back and forth in the front-to-rear direction (i.e., the vehicle CA to be washed enters the main body 1 from the front CAf side and backs out the rear CAb side after washing), thereby shortening the range of movement of the main body 1 in the front-to-rear direction. When the rear CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed is washed using the side brushes 5, the side brushes 5 need to move around to the rear CAb side. In the present disclosure, the annular rail 30 is provided, so that the side brushes 5 can be arranged on the entrance side 1e of the main body 1 in a main body 1 having, for example, two or four side brushes 5. When there are two side brushes 5, the annular rail 30 can be moved to arrange two side brushes 5 on the entrance side 1e of the main body 1. When there are four side brushes 5, two side brushes 5 can be arranged on each of the exit side 1x and entrance side 1e of the main body 1. Therefore, the distance that the main body 1 must move (the distance that the main body 1 moves rearward relative to the vehicle CA) required for the side brush 5 to get around to the rear surface CAb of the vehicle CA to be washed can be shortened compared to a car wash machine configured such that the side brush 5 is arranged only on the outlet side 1x of the main body 1. This makes it possible to shorten the length of the main body rail 2, thereby reducing the required installation space in the front-to-rear direction of the car wash machine.

[0058] 〔summary〕 The car wash machine according to aspect 1 of the present disclosure is a car wash machine having a main body that moves relative to the vehicle to be washed in the fore-and-aft direction, and the main body comprises a top brush that cleans the top surface of the vehicle to be washed, a rail that surrounds the top brush in a planar view, a moving part that has drive wheels that run on the rail and moves along the rail, and a side brush connected to the moving part that cleans the side of the vehicle to be washed by the relative movement of the main body and cleans the front and rear of the vehicle to be washed by the movement of the moving part.

[0059] In this configuration, the side brushes are moved by a moving part that moves along the rail, so additional side brushes can be added by simply providing a moving part on the rail according to the number of side brushes. This eliminates the need to provide a chain and sprocket for each additional side brush, as in the past. Therefore, this configuration provides a car wash machine with a structure that makes it easy to add side brushes.

[0060] In a car wash machine according to aspect 2 of the present disclosure, in aspect 1, the moving part may further include a drive shaft and a bearing provided between the drive shaft and the drive wheel, which allows the drive wheel to tilt relative to the drive shaft.

[0061] According to the above configuration, a bearing is provided between the drive shaft and the drive wheel to allow for misalignment of the drive shaft relative to the drive wheel, allowing the drive wheel to run stably on the rail surrounding the top brush.

[0062] In a car wash machine according to aspect 3 of the present disclosure, in aspect 1 or 2, the rail may be elliptical in shape, including a pair of straight sections parallel to the rotation axis of the top brush in a planar view, and a pair of curved sections connecting adjacent ends of the pair of straight sections, and when the moving section is located in the curved sections, the side brush may be configured to move away from the vehicle being washed.

[0063] According to the above configuration, when the moving part is located on the curved part of the rail, the side brush is spaced away from the vehicle to be washed, so that the side brush does not interfere with opening and closing the door, making it easier for users to get in and out of the vehicle.

[0064] In a car wash machine according to aspect 4 of the present disclosure, in aspect 3, when the moving part is located at the curved part, the side brush may be configured to stop rotating around its own rotation axis.

[0065] According to the above configuration, for example, when the moving part moves along a curved portion of the rail, the rotation of the side brush around the rotation axis is stopped, thereby improving the safety of the car wash machine.

[0066] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1: Main body 4: Top brush 5, 51, 52: Side brush 5A: Rotation axis 30: Rail 30A: Straight section 30B: Curved part 40: Moving section 43: Drive wheel 44: Drive shaft 45: Bearing CA: Vehicle to be washed WA: Car wash

Claims

1. A car wash machine having a main body that moves relatively in the front-rear direction with respect to a vehicle to be washed, The main body portion is a top brush for cleaning the top surface of the vehicle to be cleaned; a rail surrounding the periphery of the top brush in a plan view; a moving unit having drive wheels that run on the rail and that moves along the rail; a side brush connected to the moving part, which cleans the side of the vehicle to be washed by the relative movement of the main body part and cleans the front and rear of the vehicle to be washed by the movement of the moving part; A car wash equipped with

2. The moving unit is A drive shaft; a bearing provided between the drive shaft and the drive wheel, the bearing allowing the drive wheel to tilt relative to the drive shaft; The car wash of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The rail is a pair of straight line portions parallel to the rotation axis of the top brush in a plan view; a pair of curved portions connecting adjacent ends of the pair of straight portions; It is an oval shape including The car wash machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the side brush is configured to move away from the vehicle to be washed when the moving portion is located at the curved portion.

4. The car wash machine according to claim 3 , wherein when the moving portion is positioned at the curved portion, the side brush stops rotating about its own rotation axis.

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