Car wash machine and method for controlling a car wash machine

Abstract

To more surely apply tire wax to a tire and reduce a concentration of the tire wax to be applied to the tire.SOLUTION: A car washing machine (2) includes: a car washing machine body (4) which washes a vehicle by relative movement in a longitudinal direction with respect to the vehicle; a brush (50) and an abutting member (86) which are mounted in the car washing machine body; and tire wax nozzles (56, 58, 82) which are mounted in the car washing machine body and discharge tire wax to the brush. The brush applies the tire wax to a tire by rotating with a direction substantially vertical to a side face of the tire as a rotary shaft in a state that tire wax is adhered and a state of abutting on the tire. The car washing machine body washes the brush by rotating the brush in a state that a bristle material (52) of the brush abuts on the abutting member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a car washer for washing a vehicle and a control method for the car washer.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a car washer that applies wax to the surface of a vehicle using a brush included in a car washer main body that washes the vehicle while moving relative to the vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As the wax applied to the vehicle surface, for example, tire wax applied to the side surface of a tire can be considered. Here, the brush included in the car washer main body of the car washer described in Patent Document 1 is premised on washing the side surface and the upper surface of the vehicle including the side surface of the tire. Therefore, when applying tire wax to the tire using the brush, it is difficult to prevent the application of tire wax to the surface of the vehicle excluding the tire. As a method of applying tire wax to the tire, spraying tire wax on the side surface of the tire instead of applying it with a brush can also be considered. However, in order to form a coating of tire wax on the side surface of the tire only by spraying tire wax on the tire, it is necessary to increase the concentration of the tire wax to be used, and there is a problem that excess tire wax scatters around the tire.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A car wash machine according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a car wash machine body that washes a vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush and a tire wax nozzle attached to the car wash machine body. The brush rotates about an axis substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire while contacting the tire of the vehicle, and moves between a standby position and a cleaning position. The tire wax nozzle discharges tire wax onto the brush. The car wash machine body includes a contact member that contacts the bristles of the brush in the standby position. The brush is cleaned by rotating in a state where the contact member and the bristles are in contact with each other in the standby position, and the tire wax is applied to the tire by rotating in a state where the tire wax adheres to the brush and the brush contacts the tire in the cleaning position.

[0006] Also, a control method for a car wash machine according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for a car wash machine including a car wash machine body that washes a vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush, a tire wax nozzle, and a contact member attached to the car wash machine body. The brush moves between a standby position and a cleaning position, and includes a discharge step of discharging tire wax from the tire wax nozzle onto the brush, an application step of applying the tire wax to the tire by rotating the brush in the cleaning position where the tire wax adheres while bringing the brush into contact with the tire of the vehicle about an axis substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire, and a brush cleaning step of cleaning the brush by rotating the brush around the axis while bringing the contact member into contact with the bristles of the brush in the standby position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] It is possible to more reliably apply tire wax to the tire while reducing the concentration of the tire wax. Also, when applying tire wax to the tire, scattering of the tire wax around the tire is reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] 〔Embodiment 1〕 <Overview of the Car Washer> Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic side view 2S of a car washer main body 4 and a remote panel 6, and a schematic front view 4F of the car washer main body 4, which are included in the car washer 2 according to the present embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the car washer 2 according to the present embodiment includes a car washer main body 4 that washes a vehicle X, which is a vehicle to be washed. The car washer 2 may include a remote panel 6 that acquires the car washing conditions of the vehicle X by the car washer main body 4. In the schematic side view 2S of the car washer 2 in Figure 2, the outer shape of the vehicle X is shown by a dotted line in order to indicate that the vehicle X is located deeper toward the paper surface than the remote panel 6.

[0010] As shown in the schematic front view 4F of the car washer main body 4 in Figure 2, the car washer main body 4 includes, for example, two frames 8 and a ceiling portion 10 that connects the upper ends of the two frames 8. The car washer main body 4 has a structure in which the vehicle X can pass through a space 4S surrounded by the frames 8 and the ceiling portion 10 along the entry direction DA of the vehicle X shown in the schematic side view 2S of the car washer 2 in Figure 2. Here, in this specification, the entry direction DA is defined as the direction from the front to the back of the car washer main body 4.

[0011] The car washer main body 4 has wheels 12 at the lower parts of the respective frames 8, for example, and by rotationally driving the wheels 12 by a driving portion (not shown), it relatively moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle X along a rail R disposed on the ground G. The rail R is formed, for example, along the entry direction DA. Here, while relatively moving with respect to the vehicle X, the car washer main body 4 performs washing on the vehicle X in the space 4S.

[0012] On the car wash machine main body 4, as one of the cleaning parts, a plurality of rotating brushes that slide on the vehicle X and perform brushing are provided. For example, the rotating brushes included in the car wash machine main body 4 include a top brush 14, a side brush 16, and a rocker brush 18, each of which is rotated by a rotation motor (not shown). The top brush 14 moves along the upper surface of the vehicle X and cleans the upper surface of the vehicle X. The side brush 16 and the rocker brush 18 clean both side surfaces of the vehicle X. In particular, the rocker brush 18 cleans the lower part of the side surface of the vehicle X, including the part below the part that the side brush 16 can clean, on the side surface of the vehicle X.

[0013] On the side part of the car wash machine main body 4, a tank storage part 20 for storing a plurality of liquid storage tanks (not shown) containing various liquid agents such as detergents or waxes is arranged. Above the tank storage part 20, a distribution pipe part 22 for distributing water containing city water or the liquid agent from each liquid storage tank is provided. In the distribution pipe part 22, a first clean water nozzle 24, a second clean water nozzle 26, a first detergent nozzle 28, a second detergent nozzle 30, a water repellent coating nozzle 32, and a wax nozzle 34 included in the cleaning part are respectively led out via solenoid valves (not shown).

[0014] The first clean water nozzle 24 and the second clean water nozzle 26 are respectively arranged on the front side and the back side of the car wash machine main body 4, and spray water containing city water onto the vehicle X. The first detergent nozzle 28 and the second detergent nozzle 30 are respectively arranged on the front side and the back side of the car wash machine main body 4, and spray a cleaning liquid containing shampoo or the like onto the vehicle X. The water repellent coating nozzle 32 and the wax nozzle 34 are arranged on the rear surface of the car wash machine main body 4. The water repellent coating nozzle 32 sprays a liquid agent of a water repellent coating agent onto the vehicle X. The wax nozzle 34 sprays wax onto the vehicle X.

[0015] In addition, the car wash machine main body 4 is provided with a blower 36 that generates an air flow to dry the vehicle X. A top air supply nozzle 38 and a side air supply nozzle 40 are connected to the blower 36. The top air supply nozzle 38 is provided at the upper center of the car wash machine main body 4 and blows air toward the ceiling surface of the vehicle X. The side air supply nozzle 40 is provided on both sides of the car wash machine main body 4 and blows air toward the side surface of the vehicle X. The car wash machine main body 4 dries the washed vehicle X by the air blowing of the top air supply nozzle 38 and the side air supply nozzle 40.

[0016] The car wash machine main body 4 may further include an area sensor AS for measuring the outer shape of the vehicle X to be washed. For example, a plurality of area sensors AS may be formed in the vertical direction on the front side and the space 4S side of each frame 8 of the car wash machine main body 4.

[0017] The area sensor AS may include, for example, a plurality of pairs each including an optical element formed on one frame 8 and an optical sensor formed on the other frame 8. In this case, the area sensor AS may determine whether a vehicle exists between the optical element and the optical sensor by determining whether an electromagnetic wave such as infrared light emitted from a certain optical element is detected by the optical sensor corresponding to the optical element.

[0018] The area sensor AS may, for example, confirm the presence or absence of detection of the vehicle X while the car wash machine main body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X from the front side to the rear side. Thereby, the car wash machine main body 4 may determine the outer shape of the vehicle X for each position in plan view. The control unit 44 may control each part of the cleaning unit based on the outer shape of the vehicle X determined by the area sensor AS and perform the cleaning of the vehicle X.

[0019] Note that in FIG. 2, for simplicity of illustration, the illustration of each device for washing the vehicle X provided in the car wash machine main body 4 may be omitted. In addition, each device provided in the car wash machine main body 4 shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the car wash machine main body 4 may be provided with devices for washing the vehicle X, including conventionally known configurations in addition to the above-described devices, and devices for assisting such washing, on the frame 8 or the ceiling portion 10.

[0020] An operation panel 42 is arranged on the front surface of one frame 8 of the car wash machine main body 4. The operation panel 42 is provided with operation buttons (not shown) for setting car wash conditions, and accepts car wash or sets car wash conditions by the operation of a user or the like who has got out of the vehicle X.

[0021] Furthermore, the car wash machine 2 includes a control unit 44 that controls the car wash machine main body 4. In particular, the control unit 44 controls the washing of the vehicle X by the car wash machine main body 4 by controlling the movement along the rail R of the car wash machine main body 4 and the operations of the respective parts of the cleaning unit. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 44 may be provided in the car wash machine main body 4, or may be located outside the car wash machine main body 4. The control unit 44 may transmit and receive information to and from the car wash machine main body 4 or a remote panel 6 described later by a communication device or the like (not shown) to control the car wash machine main body 4. The control unit 44 is composed of a processor such as a CPU, for example, and each control is realized by executing a control program stored in a memory on the processor.

[0022] The remote panel 6 is located, for example, on the front side of the car wash machine main body 4 and is arranged approximately along the moving direction of the car wash machine main body 4. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the remote panel 6 is arranged to face the vehicle X before being washed by the car wash machine main body 4, in other words, before entering the inside of the car wash machine main body 4. For this reason, in FIG. 2, the back surface of the remote panel 6 is illustrated.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the remote panel 6 includes a housing 46 and a support column 48 that stands on the ground G and supports the housing 46. The remote panel 6 may obtain at least a part of the car wash conditions of the vehicle X by the car wash machine main body 4 through operations such as a touch panel or buttons (not shown) provided on the housing 46. The control unit 44 may control the car wash machine main body 4 based on at least a part of the car wash conditions obtained by the remote panel 6 to wash the vehicle X.

[0024] <Wheel brush> Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the car wash machine main body 4 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right wheel brushes 50 located on each frame 8 as one of the rotary brushes of the cleaning unit. Each wheel brush 50 is located, for example, on the back side and the lower side of the car wash machine main body 4 further than the side brush 16, as shown in the schematic side view 2S of the car wash machine 2 in FIG. 2.

[0025] The wheel brush 50 is a rotary brush that cleans the side surface of the tire XT by sliding and brushing on the side surface of the tire XT provided on the vehicle X. Further, the wheel brush 50 according to the present embodiment applies wax to the side surface of the tire XT by sliding and brushing on the side surface of the tire XT in a state where tire wax described later adheres. Note that the wheel brush 50 according to the present embodiment may also clean the side surface of the tire wheel on which the tire XT is mounted.

[0026] Details of the wheel brush 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a part of the car wash machine main body 4 that magnifies the wheel brush 50 according to the present embodiment and its vicinity, and in particular, is an enlarged view of the region A shown in the schematic front view 4F of the car wash machine main body 4 in FIG. 2. FIG. 1 shows the wheel brush 50 in each of the standby state WS, the extended state ES, and the contact state CS of the wheel brush 50, which will be described in detail later.

[0027] In FIG. 1, in order to more clearly illustrate the wire brush 50 and the members located in its vicinity, each member is shown through the frame 8 of the car washer main body 4. Also, in FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity of illustration, the illustration of each part of the car washer main body 4 including other rotating brushes such as the side brush 16 and the rocker brush 18 that are not directly related to the wire brush 50 is omitted.

[0028] The wire brush 50 will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the wire brush 50 showing an enlarged view of the wire brush 50 and its vicinity. In particular, FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the wire brush 50 in the standby state WS as seen from the direction B1 shown in FIG. 1 and a schematic view of the wire brush 50 in the contact state CS as seen from the direction B2 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, only the wire brush 50, the member supporting the wire brush 50, and members such as nozzles related to the wire brush 50 are extracted and illustrated.

[0029] The wire brush 50 includes a plurality of bristles 52 and an attachment part 54. Each of the bristles 52 is attached, for example, by being implanted in the attachment part 54. For example, a plurality of recesses may be formed in the attachment part 54, and a bundle formed by bundling a plurality of bristles 52 may be implanted in each of the recesses. The bristles 52 include a material that is flexible and has a certain degree of elasticity, and may include, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene.

[0030] Each of the bristles 52 extends in a direction substantially normal to the surface of the attachment part 54 to which the bristles 52 are attached. Thereby, each of the tip portions of the bristles 52 forms the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 shown in FIG. 1. The cleaning surface 50F may be, for example, a surface substantially horizontal to the surface of the attachment part 54 to which the bristles 52 are attached.

[0031] For example, each of the hair materials 52 may have substantially the same length, or at least one length may be different from any of the other lengths. Therefore, the cleaning surface 50F may be substantially flat, or the height from the attachment portion 54 may be different from any of the other portions in a certain part. Further, each of the hair materials 52 is attached radially from the center of the attachment portion 54. Each of the hair materials 52 located on the outermost peripheral end side of the attachment portion 54 forms the side surface 50S of the wire brush 50 shown in FIG. 1.

[0032] Furthermore, the wire brush 50 includes a central nozzle 56 and a peripheral nozzle 5⑧. The central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 5⑧ are nozzles that inject the liquid supplied to each of them. The central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 5⑧ are formed, for example, on the surface of the attachment portion 54 where the hair materials 52 are attached, and inject the liquid in a direction substantially normal to the surface. The central nozzle 56 is located near the center of the attachment portion 54, and the peripheral nozzle 5⑧ is located on the peripheral side of the attachment portion 54 rather than the central nozzle 56. In FIG. 1, the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 5⑧ are shown passing through the hair materials 52.

[0033] <Brush support portion> In the present embodiment, the car washer main body 4 further includes a pair of left and right brush support portions 60 on each frame 8. Each of the brush support portions 60 supports each of the wire brushes 50 with respect to the frame 8. The brush support portion 60 includes a rotating portion 62 and a brush shaft 64. For example, the rotating portion 62 includes an opening into which the brush shaft 64 is inserted. The rotating portion 62 rotates about the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64 in a state where the brush shaft 64 is inserted into the opening. The brush shaft 64 has a longitudinal direction, for example, substantially horizontal to the ground G and substantially orthogonal to the approaching direction DA. The rotating portion 62 rotates around the brush shaft 64 by a power unit such as a motor (not shown), for example.

[0034] The brush support portion 60 further includes a plurality of bolts 66. The bolts 66 fasten and fix the attachment portion 54 and the rotating portion 62 to each other. Therefore, as the rotating portion 62 rotates around the brush shaft 64, the attachment portion 54 also rotates around the brush shaft 64. Accordingly, the wheel brush 50 rotates around the rotation axis 50A along substantially the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64.

[0035] Note that the above-described power unit that rotates the wheel brush 50 around the brush shaft 64 may be capable of switching the rotation speed of the wheel brush 50. For example, the power unit may include a variable voltage variable frequency inverter or the like. In this case, when the wheel brush 50 rotates in one direction around the brush shaft 64, the control unit 44 may change the rotation speed through the control of the power unit.

[0036] As the wheel brush 50 rotates, the center nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 rotate. Here, the rotation axis 50A passes through, for example, the center of the attachment portion 54. Therefore, although the center nozzle 56 rotates as the wheel brush 50 rotates, its position does not vary significantly. On the other hand, the peripheral nozzle 58 rotates around the center nozzle 56 as the wheel brush 50 rotates.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the attachment portion 54 is fixed to the rotating portion 62 such that the longitudinal direction of the hair material 52 is substantially the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the brush shaft 64. Therefore, the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50 is formed such that the rotation axis 50A is substantially in the same direction as the normal direction.

[0038] The brush support portion 60 further includes an arm 68. The arm 68 includes a beam portion 70, a first shaft 72 formed at one end of the beam portion 70, and a second shaft 74 formed at the other end of the beam portion 70. The first shaft 72 and the second shaft 74 have, for example, a longitudinal direction substantially the same as the entering direction DA, and each supports the beam portion 70 rotatably with the longitudinal direction as the rotation axis.

[0039] The first shaft 72 penetrates, for example, a brush shaft support portion 76 formed on the brush shaft 64 and rotatably supports the brush shaft 64. The second shaft 74 is fixed to the frame 8 of the car washer main body 4. Therefore, when the beam portion 70 rotates around the second shaft 74, the wheel brush 50 rotates around the second shaft 74. In particular, as the beam portion 70 rotates around the second shaft 74, the distance of the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50 from the frame 8 changes.

[0040] For example, in the standby state WS shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the beam portion 70 is rotated around the second shaft 74 and the first shaft 72 is moved from the frame 8 toward the space 4S. In this case, as shown in the extended state ES of FIG. 1, the wheel brush 50 moves to the space 4S side from the frame 8 as compared with the standby state WS. Thereby, the wheel brush 50 moves between a standby position which is a position in the standby state WS for waiting for cleaning of the tire XT by the wheel brush 50 and a cleaning position which is a position in the extended state ES for performing cleaning of the tire XT by the wheel brush 50.

[0041] Here, the brush shaft 64 rotates around the first shaft 72 so that the longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the ground G regardless of the rotation of the beam portion 70 around the second shaft 74. Therefore, the rotation axis 50A of the wheel brush 50 is substantially parallel to the ground G regardless of the position of the wheel brush 50.

[0042] Each brush support portion 60 supports the wheel brush 50 such that the cleaning surface 50F of one wheel brush 50 faces the cleaning surface 50F of the other wheel brush 50. Therefore, the liquid injection directions of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 included in one wheel brush 50 are directed toward the cleaning surface 50F of the other wheel brush 50.

[0043] The control unit 44 controls the rotation of the rotary brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A and the position of the cleaning surface 50F of the rotary brush 50 from the frame 8 by controlling the operations of the respective parts of the brush support part 60. The operations of the respective parts of the brush support part 60 located on one frame 8 may be interlocked with the operations of the respective parts of the brush support part 60 located on the other frame 8, or may operate individually. Further, the control unit 44 controls the positions of the two rotary brushes 50 by controlling each arm 68. In other words, the control unit 44 controls the distance between the pair of left and right rotary brushes 50.

[0044] <Hose and auxiliary nozzle> In the present embodiment, the car washer main body 4 further includes a pair of left and right first hoses 78, second hoses 80, and auxiliary nozzles 82. In addition, the car washer main body 4 includes an arch 84 formed in a portal shape across, for example, the two frames 8 and the ceiling part 10 between the first hose 78 and the second hose 80.

[0045] The first hose 78 and the second hose 80 are cylindrical members through which liquid can flow inside. The first hose 78 and the second hose 80 communicate with the arch 84. For example, the car washer main body 4 supplies the liquid from the liquid tank to each of the first hose 78 and the second hose 80 via the arch 84. The supply amount of the liquid to each of the first hose 78 and the second hose 80 may be controlled by a valve (not shown) formed in either the arch 84 or each hose.

[0046] The first hose 78 communicates with the inside of the brush shaft 64 and the attachment part 54, and communicates with each of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 via a liquid flow path (not shown) formed inside the attachment part 54. Thereby, the car washer main body 4 supplies the liquid to each of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 via the first hose 78, and injects the liquid to each of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58.

[0047] The supply amount of liquid to each of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 may be substantially the same, or may be controlled by opening and closing a valve (not shown). Further, in order to follow the change in the distance between the brush shaft 64 and the arch 84 as the foil brush 50 moves, the first hose 78 has sufficient length and flexibility.

[0048] The auxiliary nozzle 82 communicates with the second hose 80 and is a nozzle that injects the liquid supplied through the second hose 80. The auxiliary nozzle 82 is fixed above the foil brush 50 in the standby state WS of the frame 8 of the car washer main body 4. In other words, the auxiliary nozzle 82 is located on the side periphery of the foil brush 50. For this reason, when the foil brush 50 is in the standby state WS, the auxiliary nozzle 82 injects liquid against the side surface 50S of the foil brush 50.

[0049] <Type of liquid discharged by the nozzle> The supply of liquid to each nozzle through the first hose 78 and the second hose 80 is controlled by the control unit 44. In other words, the control unit 44 controls the injection of liquid in each of the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82.

[0050] Here, the control unit 44 can change the type of liquid discharged by each nozzle by changing the type of liquid supplied to each of the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82. For example, the car washer main body 4 may be provided with individual arches 84 for each type of liquid discharged by each nozzle, and hoses may extend from each arch 84 to each nozzle. In this case, the control unit 44 may change the type of liquid discharged by each nozzle in a switchable manner by controlling the opening and closing of the valves formed in each hose. In this case, the liquid storage tank accommodated in the tank storage unit 20 may store a plurality of types of liquids.

[0051] The center nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to this embodiment spray a tire cleaning liquid. The tire cleaning liquid may contain a conventionally known cleaning liquid used for cleaning tires, such as city water or a detergent. Therefore, the center nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to this embodiment function as a first cleaning nozzle that sprays the tire cleaning liquid onto the wheel brush 50.

[0052] Also, the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to this embodiment discharges tire wax. The tire wax may contain a conventionally known tire wax, such as an oil-based wax in which silicon is dissolved in a petroleum-based solvent or an aqueous wax in which silicon fine particles are emulsified and dispersed in city water. Therefore, the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to this embodiment also functions as a tire wax nozzle that discharges tire wax onto the wheel brush 50.

[0053] In this embodiment, the center nozzle 56 or the peripheral nozzle 58 may discharge tire wax. Here, from the viewpoint of attaching the tire wax to the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50, it is preferable to discharge the tire wax near the tip of the bristles 52 of the wheel brush 50. Therefore, in order to discharge the tire wax near the tip of the bristles 52 of the wheel brush 50, it is more preferable to discharge the tire wax from the periphery of the wheel brush 50 than to discharge the tire wax from the center of the wheel brush 50 or from inside the bristles 52. Therefore, the discharge of the tire wax by the auxiliary nozzle 82 is preferable from the viewpoint of more efficiently applying the tire wax to the tire XT of the vehicle X using the wheel brush 50 as compared with the case where the center nozzle 56 or the peripheral nozzle 58 discharges the tire wax. The auxiliary nozzle 82 may discharge the tire wax, for example, to a portion about 5 cm from the tip of the bristles 52 of the wheel brush 50. [[ID=.]

[0054] The central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to the present embodiment inject the brush cleaning liquid. The brush cleaning liquid is a cleaning liquid for making it easier to remove foreign substances and the like attached to the wire brush 50 by attaching it to the wire brush 50. The brush cleaning liquid may include a conventionally known cleaning liquid used for cleaning a brush, such as city water or a detergent. In particular, the brush cleaning liquid may include a solvent in which the above-described tire wax is soluble. For this reason, the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzle 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 according to the present embodiment also function as a second cleaning nozzle that injects the brush cleaning liquid onto the wire brush 50.

[0055] In the present embodiment, the car wash machine main body 4 may individually include nozzles that inject the tire cleaning liquid, the tire wax, and the brush cleaning liquid, respectively. In this case, the car wash machine main body 4 may include a plurality of arches 84 that supply the tire cleaning liquid, the tire wax, and the brush cleaning liquid to the nozzles, respectively. Further, the car wash machine main body 4 may include a hose for transporting the liquid from each arch 84 to each nozzle for each type of liquid to be transported. Furthermore, the control unit 44 may individually control valves formed in each nozzle or each hose, and may change the type of liquid injected by the nozzle by switching the nozzle that injects the liquid in a changeable manner.

[0056] <Contact member> Furthermore, the car wash machine main body 4 according to the present embodiment includes a contact member 86. The contact member 86 is, for example, a cylindrical member having a bent portion and a straight rod portion. The contact member 86 is at least stiffer than the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 and includes a material such as metal, for example. The contact member 86 is rotatably supported, for example, by a contact member shaft 88 having a longitudinal direction in substantially the same direction as the traveling direction DA. The contact member shaft 88 is formed in the car wash machine main body 4 and rotatably supports the contact member 86 with the longitudinal direction as the rotation axis.

[0057] When the wire brush 50 is in the standby state WS or the extended state ES, the contact member 86 is retracted to the peripheral side of the car washer main body 4 with respect to the space 4S. Also in this case, the contact member 86 does not contact the wire brush 50 and does not overlap the wire brush 50 as viewed from the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64. Therefore, the wire brush 50 can move between the standby position in the standby state WS and the cleaning position in the extended state ES.

[0058] When the wire brush 50 is in the standby state WS, by rotating the contact member 86 around the contact member shaft 88, the contact member 86 moves toward the space 4S side of the car washer main body 4. Thereby, as shown in the contact state CS of FIGS. 1 and 3, the contact member 86 contacts the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50. More specifically, in the contact state CS, the contact member 86 enters from the side surface 50S of the wire brush 50 toward the center side of the wire brush 50.

[0059] When the wire brush 50 rotates around the rotation axis 50A in the contact state CS, the plurality of bristles 52 sequentially contact the contact member 86. Thereby, the contact member 86 scrapes off the liquid or foreign matter attached to the bristles 52.

[0060] The control unit 44 can change the presence or absence of the contact between the bristles 52 and the contact member 86 by controlling the rotation of the contact member 86 around the contact member shaft 88. For example, the control unit 44 may control the rotation of the contact member 86 around the contact member shaft 88 by controlling the expansion and contraction of a jack (not shown) connected to the contact member 86.

[0061] <Outline of the car washing method and reception process> A method of washing a vehicle X by a car washer 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method of washing a vehicle by the car washer 2. In the method of washing according to the present embodiment, first, as a reception step, the car washer 2 receives a request for washing from a user or the like of the vehicle X (step S2). The reception of the washing can be carried out, for example, by the user operating the remote panel 6 or the operation panel 42 or the like to set the washing conditions of the vehicle X and pay the washing fee.

[0062] After the reception of the washing is completed, as a washing step, the control unit 44 controls each part of the car washer main body 4, and the car washer 2 washes the vehicle X (step S4). For example, in the washing step, the control unit 44 moves the car washer main body 4 in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle X while operating the cleaning unit of the car washer main body 4 to wash the vehicle X. Here, while moving the car washer main body 4 and passing the vehicle X through the space 4S, the control unit 44 may acquire information on the outer shape of the vehicle X from the presence or absence of detection of the vehicle X by each sensor of the area sensor AS, and wash the vehicle X based on the information.

[0063] <Washing of Tires> A part of the washing step will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the washing step in the method of washing a vehicle by the car washer 2. FIGS. 6 to 9 are front views of the steps for showing a part of the washing step shown in FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, in particular, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9, a method of washing the tire TX by the wheel brush 50, a method of applying tire wax to the tire TX, and a method of washing the wheel brush 50 will be described.

[0064] In the washing step, as described above, first, the control unit 44 controls the cleaning unit while relatively moving the car washer main body 4 from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle X to wash the vehicle X. Here, in the washing step, the control unit 44 injects tire cleaning liquid from the first cleaning nozzle to the wheel brush 50 in parallel with the relative movement of the car washer main body 4 with respect to the vehicle X (step S4-2).

[0065] In particular, in step S4-2, the control unit 44 controls the valves corresponding to the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82, respectively. Thereby, the control unit 44 causes the tire cleaning liquid to be jetted from each of the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the wheel brush 50. For example, as shown in step S4-2 of FIG. 6, the tire cleaning liquid L1 is jetted from the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the side surface 50S of the wheel brush 50.

[0066] In step S4-2, the tire cleaning liquid L1 adheres to the wheel brush 50. In particular, in step S4-2, the control unit 44 may cause the tire cleaning liquid to be jetted from each of the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the wheel brush 50 so that the tire cleaning liquid L1 adheres to the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50. Note that, in step S4-2, the control unit 44 may cause the tire cleaning liquid to be jetted directly from each of the central nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the tire XT.

[0067] Step S4-2 is executed, for example, from the start of step S4 until the cleaning machine main body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X until the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50 and the side surface of the tire XT overlap when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64. For example, the control unit 44 may determine the position of the tire XT in the front-rear direction of the vehicle X by detecting the tire XT with a sensor provided in the cleaning machine main body 4 while moving the cleaning machine main body 4 relative to the vehicle X. The sensor for detecting the tire XT may be the area sensor AS described above. Alternatively, the cleaning machine main body 4 may further include a sensor for separately detecting the tire XT.

[0068] In step S4-2, the control unit 44 maintains the wire brush 50 in the standby state WS. For example, before the start of the car wash process, the control unit 44 may control each brush support portion 60 to move each wire brush 50 to the side of each frame 8. As shown in step S4-2 of FIG. 6, the distance W1 between the cleaning surfaces 50F of the two wire brushes 50 in the standby state WS is longer than the distance WX between the outer surfaces of the left and right tires XT of the vehicle X. The holding of the standby state WS of the wire brush 50 in the car wash process including step S4-2 is realized by the control of the brush support portion 60 by the control unit 44. Thereby, the distance between the cleaning surfaces 50F of the two wire brushes 50 becomes W1, which is longer than the distance WX, so that a space between the wire brush 50 and the vehicle X during the relative movement of the car wash machine body 4 with respect to the vehicle X can be secured.

[0069] Next, the tires XT are cleaned by the wire brush 50 (step S4-4). Step S4-4 is executed when the car wash machine body 4 has moved to a position where the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 and the side surface of the tire XT overlap when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64 after the completion of step S4-2. After the start of step S4-4, the control unit 44 may temporarily stop the relative movement of the car wash machine body 4 with respect to the vehicle X.

[0070] In step S4-4, first, as shown in step S4-4 of FIG. 6, the control unit 44 controls the brush support portion 60 to move the wire brush 50 toward the vehicle X and bring it into contact with the vehicle X. Thereby, the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 comes into contact with the outer surface of the tire XT of the vehicle X. The distance between the two wire brushes becomes a distance W2 that is shorter than the distance W1. The distance W2 is substantially the same as the distance WX.

[0071] In step S4-4, the control unit 44 further rotates the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A in a state where the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 is in contact with the outer surface of the front tire XT of the vehicle X. In particular, during step S4-4, the control unit 44 rotates the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A while maintaining the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64 substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire XT. Thereby, the control unit 44 performs cleaning of the tire XT by the wire brush 50.

[0072] During the cleaning of the tire XT by the wire brush 50, the control unit 44 may inject the tire cleaning liquid L1 from each of the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzle 58 of the wire brush 50 while rotating the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A. In step S4-4, when the wire brush 50 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis 50A, the rotation speed may be, for example, 140 rotations per minute.

[0073] In the step of bringing the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 into contact with the outer surface of the tire XT, including step S4-4, the control unit 44 may appropriately change the pressing pressure of the wire brush 50 against the tire XT according to the diameter of the tire XT. For example, the control unit 44 may increase the pressing pressure of the wire brush 50 against the tire XT as the diameter of the tire XT increases. Further, the wire brush 50 may be designed such that the tip of the bristles 52 spreads toward the peripheral side of the outer surface of the tire XT as the pressing pressure against the tire XT increases. Thereby, the control unit 44 can more reliably bring the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 into contact with the vicinity of the outer periphery of the outer surface of the tire XT, and can reduce the tip of the bristles 52 from protruding from the outer surface of the tire XT.

[0074] The control unit 44 may measure the diameter of the tire XT by detecting the outer shape of the tire XT with a sensor provided in the car washer main body 4, for example. Alternatively, the control unit 44 may measure the diameter of the tire XT by detecting the height of the uppermost part of the tire XT with a sensor provided in the car washer main body 4, for example. The sensor for measuring the diameter of the tire XT may be the area sensor AS described above. Alternatively, the car washer main body 4 may further include a sensor for separately measuring the diameter of the tire XT.

[0075] <Dehydration and Application of Tire Wax> Subsequent to the cleaning of the tire XT by the wire brush 50, the control unit 44 dehydrates the wire brush 50 by controlling the wire brush 50 (step S4-6). In step S4-6, as shown in step S4-6 of FIG. 7, the control unit 44 first controls the brush support portion 60 to move the wire brush 50 toward the frame 8 to place the wire brush 50 in the standby state WS. Next, the control unit 44 rotates the wire brush 50 in the standby state WS around the rotation axis 50A. In other words, the control unit 44 rotates the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A in a state where the wire brush 50 is separated from the vehicle X.

[0076] Thereby, the control unit 44 dehydrates the wire brush 50 by removing the liquid including the tire cleaning liquid L1 adhering to the wire brush 50 from the wire brush 50 by centrifugal separation. In this specification, "dehydration" refers to removing at least a part of the liquid including not only water such as city water but also the tire cleaning liquid L1 as described above from the wire brush 50. In step S4-6, foreign matter or the like adhering to the wire brush 50 may be removed from the wire brush 50 by step S4-4.

[0077] In step S4-6, when the wire brush 50 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis 50A, the rotation speed may be, for example, 190 rotations per minute. Also, for example, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-6 may be faster than the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-4. In other words, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 may be faster during dehydration of the wire brush 50 than during cleaning of the tire XT. In this case, the car washer 2 can dehydrate the brush more efficiently in step S4-6.

[0078] Subsequent to the dehydration of the wire brush 50, the control unit 44 causes the tire wax nozzle to discharge tire wax onto the wire brush 50 (step S4-8, discharge step). In particular, in step S4-8, the control unit 44 controls the valve corresponding to the auxiliary nozzle 82 to change the liquid supplied to the auxiliary nozzle 82 from the tire cleaning liquid to the tire wax. Thereby, the control unit 44 discharges the tire wax from the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the wire brush 50. For example, as shown in step S4-8 of FIG. 7, the tire wax TW is discharged from the auxiliary nozzle 82 onto the side surface 50S of the wire brush 50. In step S4-8, the tire wax TW may be discharged from the central nozzle 56 or the peripheral nozzle 58.

[0079] In step S4-8, when the wire brush 50 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis 50A, the rotation speed may be, for example, 50 rotations per minute. Also, for example, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-8 may be slower than the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-4. In other words, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 may be slower during discharge of the tire wax TW onto the wire brush 50 than during cleaning of the tire XT. In this case, the car washer 2 can reduce the scattering of the tire wax TW around the wire brush 50 in step S4-8.

[0080] In step S4-8, the range in which the tire wax TW is discharged from each tire wax nozzle may be narrower than the range in which the tire cleaning liquid L1 is sprayed from each first cleaning nozzle. Further, the force with which the tire wax TW is discharged from each tire wax nozzle may be weaker than the force with which the tire cleaning liquid L1 is sprayed from each first cleaning nozzle. Thereby, the car washer 2 can reduce the scattering of the tire wax TW around the wire brush 50.

[0081] In step S4-8, the tire wax TW adheres to the wire brush 50. In particular, in step S4-8, the control unit 44 may discharge the tire wax TW from the auxiliary nozzle 82 near the tip of the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 so that the tire wax TW adheres to the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50.

[0082] In the present embodiment, dehydration of the wire brush 50 is performed in step S4-6 before discharging the tire wax TW to the wire brush 50 in step S4-8. For this reason, the car washer 2 reduces the dilution of the tire wax TW discharged to the wire brush 50 by the tire cleaning liquid L1 or the like already adhering to the wire brush 50. Further, the car washer 2 reduces the mixing of foreign matters or the like adhering to the wire brush 50 into the tire wax TW. With the above configuration, the car washer 2 can apply the tire wax TW with a more appropriate concentration to the tire XT, and can reduce the adhesion of foreign matters to the tire XT when applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT.

[0083] Subsequent to step S4-8, the control unit 44 applies the tire wax TW to the tire XT through the control of the wire brush 50 (step S4-10, application step). In step S4-10, as shown in step S4-10 of FIG. 8, first, the control unit 44 controls the brush support unit 60 to move the wire brush 50 toward the vehicle X and bring it into contact with the vehicle X. Thereby, the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 comes into contact with the outer surface of the tire XT of the vehicle X. The distance between the two wire brushes is the distance W2 described above.

[0084] In step S4-10, the control unit 44 further rotates the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A in a state where the cleaning surface 50F of the wire brush 50 is in contact with the outer surface of the front tire XT of the vehicle X. In particular, during step S4-10, the control unit 44 rotates the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A while maintaining the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64 substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire XT. Thereby, the control unit 44 executes the application of the tire wax TW to the tire XT by the wire brush 50.

[0085] Here, in step S4-8 described above, more tire wax TW may be adhered to the wire material 52 of the wire brush 50 that is closer to the side surface 50S than the center of the attachment portion 54. In this case, in step S4-10, it becomes easier to apply the tire wax TW only to the side surface of the tire XT. In other words, it becomes more difficult to apply the tire wax TW to the side surface of the tire wheel to which the tire XT is mounted.

[0086] For example, in step S4-8, among the nozzles, only the auxiliary nozzle 82 may discharge the tire wax to the wire brush 50, and the discharge of the tire wax TW from the central nozzle 56 and the peripheral nozzles 58 may be stopped. Thereby, the tire wax TW is likely to adhere to the wire material 52 of the wire brush 50 that is closer to the side surface 50S than the center of the attachment portion 54.

[0087] In the present embodiment, before applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT in step S4-10, the tire XT is cleaned in step S4-4. Therefore, it is reduced that the tire wax TW is applied from above foreign matters or the like adhered to the tire XT. Therefore, with the above configuration, the car wash machine 2 can efficiently apply the tire wax TW to the tire XT.

[0088] Also, in the present embodiment, the brush used for cleaning the tire XT in step S4-4 and applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT in step S4-10 is the same foil brush 50. Therefore, the car washer 2 does not need to be provided with separate brushes for each of the cleaning of the tire XT and the application of the tire wax TW to the tire XT, so the configuration of the car washer main body 4 is simplified.

[0089] In addition, in step S4-10, when the foil brush 50 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis 50A, its rotation speed may be, for example, 35 rotations per minute. Also, for example, the rotation speed of the foil brush 50 in step S4-10 may be slower than the rotation speed of the foil brush 50 in step S4-4. In other words, the rotation speed of the foil brush 50 may be slower when applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT than when cleaning the tire XT. In this case, the car washer 2 can reduce the scattering of the tire wax TW around the tire in step S4-10.

[0090] <Cleaning of the Foil Brush> Subsequent to the application of the tire wax TW to the tire XT by the foil brush 50, the control unit 44 causes the brush cleaning liquid to be jetted from the second cleaning nozzle onto the foil brush 50 (step S4-12). In step S4-12, as shown in step S4-12 of FIG. 8, the control unit 44 first controls the brush support unit 60 to move the foil brush 50 toward the frame 8 to put the foil brush 50 in the standby state WS. Here, after each foil brush 50 enters the standby state WS in step S4-12, the control unit 44 may control the car washer main body 4 to resume the relative movement of the car washer main body 4 with respect to the vehicle X and the cleaning of the vehicle X by the cleaning unit.

[0091] Next, for example, the control unit 44 controls the valves corresponding to the center nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82, and changes the liquid supplied to each nozzle from tire wax to the brush cleaning liquid. Thereby, the control unit 44 injects the brush cleaning liquid from each of the center nozzle 56, the peripheral nozzles 58, and the auxiliary nozzle 82 to the wire brush 50. For example, as shown in step S4-12 of FIG. 8, the brush cleaning liquid L2 is discharged from the auxiliary nozzle 82 to the side surface 50S of the wire brush 50.

[0092] Next to step S4-12, the control unit 44 cleans the wire brush 50 (step S4-14, brush cleaning process). In step S4-14, first, the control unit 44 rotates the contact member 86 around the contact member shaft 88. Thereby, the control unit 44 shifts the state of the wire brush 50 from the standby state WS to the contact state CS where the contact member 86 and the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 are in contact, as shown in step S4-14 of FIG. 9.

[0093] In step S4-14, further, the control unit 44 rotates the wire brush 50 in the contact state CS around the rotation axis 50A. Thereby, in step S4-14, the liquid or foreign matter attached to the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 is scraped off by the contact member 86. Thereby, in step S4-14, the control unit 44 cleans the wire brush 50 through the control of the wire brush 50 and the contact member 86.

[0094] In the present embodiment, the brush cleaning liquid L2 injected from the second cleaning nozzle in step S4-12 adheres to the wire brush 50 in step S4-14. Therefore, in step S4-14, the wire brush 50 is also cleaned by the brush cleaning liquid L2. For example, in step S4-14, the tire wax TW detached from the wire brush 50 by the brush cleaning liquid L2 may be scraped off by the contact member 86 to remove the tire wax TW from the wire brush 50.

[0095] In step S4-14, when the wire brush 50 rotates in one direction around the rotation axis 50A, the rotation speed may be, for example, 80 rotations per minute. Also, for example, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-14 may be slower than the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 in step S4-4. In other words, the rotation speed of the wire brush 50 may be slower when cleaning the wire brush 50 than when cleaning the tire XT. In this case, the car washer 2 can reduce the scattering of the brush cleaning liquid L2 and the tire wax TW around the wire brush 50 in step S4-14.

[0096] The car washer 2 completes the cleaning process of the vehicle X by completing both the cleaning of the part of the vehicle X excluding the tire XT by the car washer main body 4 and the steps from step S4-2 to step S4-14 described above.

[0097] The car washer 2 completes at least steps S4-2 to S4-12 described above by the time the cleaning of the part of the vehicle X excluding the tire XT is completed while relatively moving the car washer main body 4 with respect to the vehicle X. Also, the car washer 2 completes step S4-14, for example, by the time the reception of the cleaning of the next vehicle X is completed.

[0098] In particular, the car washer 2 may complete step S4-14 by the time the cleaning of the part of the vehicle X excluding the tire XT is completed while relatively moving the car washer main body 4 with respect to the vehicle X. Thereby, the time until the car washer 2 performs the car wash of the next other vehicle X can be shortened.

[0099] In this embodiment, since step S4-14 is passed through before the completion of the vehicle cleaning process, after the cleaning of a certain vehicle X by the car washer 2 is completed, when the car washer 2 starts cleaning another vehicle X, the wire brush 50 is in a cleaned state. Therefore, when the car washer 2 sequentially performs the cleaning of a plurality of vehicles X, it is possible to reduce the adhesion of liquids such as the tire wax TW attached to the wire brush 50 or foreign substances to other vehicles X during the cleaning of a certain vehicle X.

[0100] During the cleaning process, the control unit 44 may execute each step shown in FIG. 6 by controlling the car washer 2 according to the control method described for each of steps S4-2 to S4-14 shown in FIG. 6. The control method of the car washer 2 by the control unit 44 may be determined, for example, in accordance with the car wash conditions including the car wash conditions of the vehicle X acquired in the reception process.

[0101] <Cleaning and application of tire wax for a plurality of tires> Generally, on the vehicle X, two or more pairs of left and right tires XT are aligned in the front-rear direction. Therefore, steps S4-2 to S4-14 described above may be repeatedly executed for each pair of left and right tires XT of the vehicle X. In this case, after completion of step S4-12, the control unit 44 may move the car washer main body 4 to a position where the cleaning surface 50F of the wheel brush 50 overlaps with the side surface of the other tire XT when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64.

[0102] In addition, after completion of step S4-12, the control unit 44 may execute steps S4-14 and S4-2 while moving the car washer main body 4 to the above position. During the period from the start of step S4-14 to the completion of step S4-2, the control unit 44 may retract the contact member 86 toward the frame 8 side and shift the wheel brush 50 from the contact state CS to the standby state WS. Next, after moving the car washer main body 4 to the above position, the control unit 44 may continue to execute steps S4-4 to S4-14.

[0103] As a result, the car washer 2 can perform cleaning and application of the tire wax TW for each of a plurality of pairs of left and right tires XT. Further, in the above method, from the application of the tire wax TW to one set of tires XT to the injection of the tire cleaning liquid L1 for cleaning the other set of tires XT into the wire brush 50, the wire brush 50 is cleaned. Thereby, the car washer 2 can reduce the mixing of the tire cleaning liquid L1 and the tire wax TW on the wire brush 50. Further, the car washer 2 reduces the adhesion of the tire wax TW or foreign matter adhering to the wire brush 50 during the cleaning of the other set of tires XT to the tires XT.

[0104] In step S4-14, the cleaning of the wire brush 50 is performed with the brush cleaning liquid L2 adhering to the wire brush 50. Thereby, the car washer 2 can clean the wire brush 50 more efficiently. Further, when the brush cleaning liquid L2 contains a solvent in which the tire wax TW is soluble, in step S4-14, the car washer 2 can more efficiently remove the tire wax TW adhering to the wire brush 50. Thereby, the car washer 2 further reduces the adhesion of the tire wax TW or foreign matter adhering to the wire brush 50 during the cleaning of the other set of tires XT to the tires XT.

[0105] As described above, in the present embodiment, steps S4-2 to S4-14 are executed together while the car washer main body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X and the cleaning unit cleans the vehicle X. Here, the car washer main body 4 may move relative to the vehicle X not only in the direction from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle X but also in the direction from the rear side to the front side of the vehicle X. For example, the car washer main body 4 may move from the front end to the rear end of the vehicle X while the cleaning unit cleans the vehicle X, and then move from the rear end to the front end of the vehicle X. After that, the car washer main body 4 may move from the front end to the rear end of the vehicle X again. In this case, during the second movement of the car washer main body 4 from the front end to the rear end of the vehicle X, the control unit 44 may control the blower 36 of the car washer main body 4 to dry the vehicle X. With the completion of the drying of the vehicle X, the car washer 2 may complete the cleaning process.

[0106] Here, in the cleaning process according to the present embodiment, an example is given in which steps S4-2 to S4-14 are sequentially executed for each pair of left and right tires XT. However, the cleaning process according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the cleaning process, when the car washer main body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X from the front end to the rear end, the control unit 44 sprays the tire cleaning liquid L1 onto the wheel brush 50 and cleans each tire XT. After the cleaning of all the tires XT is completed, the control unit 44 dehydrates the wheel brush 50 and discharges the tire wax TW onto the wheel brush 50. Next, when the car washer main body 4 moves relative to the vehicle X from the rear end to the front end, the control unit 44 applies the tire wax TW to each tire XT. Next, the control unit 44 sprays the brush cleaning liquid L2 onto the wheel brush 50 and cleans the wheel brush 50.

[0107] When the vehicle X is equipped with a plurality of pairs of left and right tires XT, by the above method, the number of times each step from step S4-2 to step S4-14 is switched is reduced. Therefore, the car washer 2 can simplify the control content of each part by the control unit 44. Also, by the above method, the car washer 2 can reduce the mixing of the tire cleaning liquid L1, the tire wax TW, and the brush cleaning liquid L2 on the wheel brush 50.

[0108] <Effects achieved by the car washer> The car washer 2 according to the present embodiment rotates the wheel brush 50 while bringing the wheel brush 50 with the tire wax TW attached into contact with the tire XT, and applies the tire wax TW to the tire XT. For this reason, compared with the case where the car washer 2 sprays the tire wax TW onto the tire XT, the car washer 2 can more surely form a film of the tire wax TW on the side surface of the tire XT. Therefore, the amount of use and the oil concentration of the tire wax TW can be reduced. Accordingly, the car washer 2 can reduce the cost of applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT, and can also reduce the amount of the tire wax TW to be discarded.

[0109] Further, the car wash machine 2 can reduce the scattering of the tire wax TW to locations where it is not assumed to be applied, including the ground or the surface of the vehicle X around the tire XT, as compared to the case where the tire wax TW is sprayed onto the tire XT. Thereby, the car wash machine 2 reduces the soiling of the car wash machine 2 itself, the vehicle X, and their surroundings by the tire wax TW. Furthermore, the car wash machine 2 can simplify or omit steps such as wiping off the tire wax TW scattered to locations where it is not assumed to be applied.

[0110] Accordingly, the car wash machine 2 according to the present embodiment can reduce the concentration of the tire wax TW contained in the waste liquid generated in the car wash process. Generally, since the tire wax TW often contains oil, the environmental load during disposal may be greater compared to liquids such as city water and cleaning liquid. Therefore, the car wash machine 2 can reduce the environmental load generated during the disposal of the waste liquid.

[0111] Furthermore, in step S4-14, the cleaning of the wire brush 50 is realized by rotating the wire brush 50 around the rotation axis 50A in a state where the contact member 86 is in contact with the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50. With the above configuration, the car wash machine 2 can scrape off the tire wax TW attached to the wire brush 50 by the contact member 86. Thereby, the car wash machine 2 can reduce the scattering of the tire wax TW to the wire brush 50 as compared to the case where the tire wax TW attached to the wire brush 50 is removed by centrifugation or the like. Also, with the above configuration, the car wash machine 2 further reduces the attachment of the tire wax TW or foreign matter or the like attached to the wire brush 50 during the cleaning of other sets of tires XT to the tires XT.

[0112] Note that, by dehydrating the wire brush 50 in step S4-6, the car washer 2 reduces the outflow of the tire wax TW discharged onto the wire brush 50 from the wire brush 50 due to the tire cleaning liquid L1 or the like after step S4-8. Along with this, the car washer 2 can further reduce the concentration of the tire wax TW contained in the waste liquid generated during the cleaning process. Therefore, the car washer 2 can further reduce the environmental load when discarding the waste liquid in the cleaning process.

[0113] The car washer 2 according to the present embodiment can reduce the environmental load when discarding the waste liquid, and thus can contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 14, "Conserve life below water" and target 15, "Protect life on land". In addition, the car washer 2 can simplify the waste liquid treatment or reduce the amount of water required for waste liquid treatment, and thus can contribute to the achievement of SDGs target 6, "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all". Furthermore, the car washer 2 can reduce the amount of tire wax TW used and discarded, and thus can contribute to the achievement of SDGs target 12, "Responsible consumption and production".

[0114] 〔Embodiment 2〕 <Modification example of the contact member> Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described. The car washer 2 according to the present embodiment has the same configuration as the car washer 2 according to the previous embodiment, except that the car washer main body 90 is provided instead of the car washer main body 4.

[0115] The car washer main body 90 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a part of the car washer main body 90, which magnifies the wheel brush 50 and its vicinity according to this embodiment, and in particular, is an enlarged view of the position corresponding to the schematic front view shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of the wheel brush 50, which shows an enlarged view of the wheel brush 50 and its vicinity. In particular, FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of the wheel brush 50 in the standby state WS as viewed from the direction B1 shown in FIG. 10 and a schematic view of the wheel brush 50 in the contact state CS as viewed from the direction B2 shown in FIG. 10. In FIGS. 10 and 11, the wheel brush 50, the member supporting the wheel brush 50, and members such as nozzles related to the wheel brush 50 may be omitted from the illustration.

[0116] The car washer main body 90 according to this embodiment is different in configuration from the car washer main body 4 according to the previous embodiment only in that it includes a contact member 92 and a contact member shaft 94 instead of the contact member 86 and the contact member shaft 88.

[0117] The contact member 92 is, for example, a cylindrical member composed of only a straight rod portion and is at least stiffer than the bristles 52 of the wheel brush 50. The contact member 92 may include, for example, the same material as the contact member 86. The contact member shaft 94 is formed in the car washer main body 4 and rotatably supports the contact member 92 with the longitudinal direction as the rotation axis. However, the contact member shaft 94 is different from the contact member shaft 88 in that, for example, it has a longitudinal direction substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64 of the wheel brush 50. The contact member shaft 94 is located, for example, in the vicinity of the side surface 50S of the wheel brush 50 in the standby state WS.

[0118] Therefore, when the contact member 92 rotates around the contact member shaft 94, the contact member 92 moves in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction with respect to the car washer main body 90. For example, the contact member 92 does not necessarily move in the left-right direction with respect to the car washer main body 90. Thus, when the vehicle X is located within the space 4S, such as while the vehicle X is being washed by the car washer main body 90, the contact member 92 moves in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction with respect to the vehicle X.

[0119] When the wheel brush 50 is in the standby state WS or the extended state ES, the contact member 92 is retracted to the peripheral side rather than the central side of the attachment portion 54 of the wheel brush 50. Also in this case, the contact member 92 does not contact the wheel brush 50 and does not overlap the wheel brush 50 as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the brush shaft 64. For this reason, the wheel brush 50 can move between the standby position in the standby state WS and the cleaning position in the extended state ES.

[0120] When the wheel brush 50 is in the standby state WS, as the contact member 92 rotates around the contact member shaft 94, the contact member 92 moves from the side surface 50S of the wheel brush 50 toward the central side of the attachment portion 54. Thereby, as shown in the contact state CS of FIGS. 10 and 11, the contact member 92 enters between the bristles 52 from the side surface 50S of the wheel brush 50 and contacts the bristles 52 of the wheel brush 50. When the wheel brush 50 rotates around the rotation axis 50A in the contact state CS, the plurality of bristles 52 sequentially contact the contact member 92. Thereby, the contact member 92 scrapes off the liquid or foreign matter attached to the bristles 52.

[0121] The control unit 44 can change the presence or absence of the contact between the bristles 52 and the contact member 92 by controlling the rotation of the contact member 92 around the contact member shaft 94. For example, the control unit 44 may control the rotation of the contact member 92 around the contact member shaft 94 by controlling a power unit such as a motor (not shown) connected to the contact member shaft 94.

[0122] The method for washing the vehicle X by the car wash 2 according to the present embodiment is realized by the same method as the method for washing the vehicle X by the car wash 2 according to the previous embodiment, except for the operations of each part in step S4-14. In the present embodiment, in step S4-14, the contact member 92 rotates around the contact member shaft 94, so that the state of the wheel brush 50 shifts from the standby state WS to the contact state CS. Therefore, in step S4-14, the contact member 92 moves in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle X.

[0123] The car wash 2 according to the present embodiment also rotates the wheel brush 50 while bringing the wheel brush 50 to which the tire wax TW adheres into contact with the tire XT, and applies the tire wax TW to the tire XT. Therefore, for the same reasons as those described in the previous embodiment, the car wash 2 can reduce the cost of applying the tire wax TW to the tire XT and can also reduce the amount of the tire wax TW to be discarded. In addition, for the same reasons as those described in the previous embodiment, the car wash 2 according to the present embodiment reduces the contamination of the car wash 2 itself, the vehicle X, and their surroundings by the tire wax TW. Furthermore, the car wash 2 can simplify or omit steps such as wiping off the tire wax TW scattered to locations where it is not assumed that the tire wax TW will be applied. In addition, the car wash 2 can reduce the environmental load generated when discarding the waste liquid.

[0124] In step S4-14 according to the present embodiment, the contact member 92 moves in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle X. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the movement of the contact member 92 can be realized by simple control content, such as rotating it around the contact member shaft 94.

[0125] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in order to bring the bristles 52 of the wire brush 50 into contact with the contact member 92, it is not necessary to move the contact member 92 in the left - right direction with respect to the vehicle X. Therefore, the car - washing machine main body 4 according to the present embodiment can make the space between the vehicle X and the contact member 92 wider. Furthermore, since the car - washing machine main body 4 does not need to move the contact member 92 in the left - right direction within the frame 8, the space inside the frame 8 can be utilized more effectively.

[0126] Note that, in the present embodiment, the contact member 92 rotates around the contact member shaft 94, and thereby the presence or absence of the contact between the bristles 52 and the contact member 92 is switched, but it is not limited to this. For example, the contact member 92 may move forward and backward along the longitudinal direction to switch the presence or absence of the contact between the bristles 52 and the contact member 92. Also, the contact member 92 may move along only one of the front - rear direction and the up - down direction with respect to the car - washing machine main body 90.

[0127] The present disclosure is not limited to the above - described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0128] 2 Car - washing machine 4, 90 Car - washing machine main body 50 Wire brush 56 Central nozzle 58 Peripheral nozzle 82 Auxiliary nozzle 86, 92 Contact member L1 Tire cleaning liquid L2 Brush cleaning liquid TW Tire wax X Vehicle

Claims

1. A car wash main body that washes the vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush and a tire wax nozzle attached to the car wash main body, wherein the brush rotates with a direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis while contacting the tire of the vehicle, and moves between a standby position and a cleaning position, the tire wax nozzle discharges tire wax onto the brush, the car wash main body includes a contact member that contacts the bristles of the brush in the standby position, the brush is cleaned by rotating in a state where the contact member and the bristles are in contact in the standby position, and in the cleaning position, the tire wax is applied to the tire by rotating in a state where the tire wax adheres to the brush and the brush is in contact with the tire, the contact member is a car wash machine that can be switched to change the presence or absence of contact with the bristles of the brush in the standby position by moving in at least one of the front-rear direction and the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle.

2. A car wash main body that washes the vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush and a tire wax nozzle attached to the car wash main body, wherein the brush rotates with a direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis while contacting the tire of the vehicle, and moves between a standby position and a cleaning position, the tire wax nozzle discharges tire wax onto the brush, the car wash main body includes a contact member that contacts the bristles of the brush in the standby position, the brush is cleaned by rotating in a state where the contact member and the bristles are in contact in the standby position, and in the cleaning position, the tire wax is applied to the tire by rotating in a state where the tire wax adheres to the brush and the brush is in contact with the tire, the brush rotates around the rotation axis in a state of contacting the tire to clean the tire, the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis is slower when applying the tire wax to the tire than when cleaning the tire.

3. A car wash main body that washes the vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush and a tire wax nozzle attached to the car wash main body, The brush rotates with the direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis while contacting the tire of the vehicle, and moves between a standby position and a cleaning position. The tire wax nozzle discharges tire wax onto the brush. The car wash main body includes a contact member that contacts the bristles of the brush in the standby position. The brush is cleaned by rotating in a state where the contact member and the bristles are in contact with each other in the standby position, and in the cleaning position, the tire wax is applied to the tire by rotating in a state where the tire wax adheres to the brush and the brush is in contact with the tire. The brush rotates around the rotation axis in a state of contacting the tire to clean the tire. The car wash main body includes a second cleaning nozzle that injects a brush cleaning liquid. The second cleaning nozzle injects the brush cleaning liquid onto the brush. The brush is cleaned by rotating around the rotation axis in a state where the brush cleaning liquid is injected from the second cleaning nozzle. A car wash in which the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis is slower when cleaning the brush than when cleaning the tire.

4. The car wash main body includes a first cleaning nozzle that injects a tire cleaning liquid. The first cleaning nozzle injects the tire cleaning liquid onto at least one of the brush and the tire. The car wash according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the brush cleans the tire in a state where the tire cleaning liquid adheres to at least one of the brush and the tire.

5. The car wash main body includes a second cleaning nozzle that injects a brush cleaning liquid. The second cleaning nozzle injects the brush cleaning liquid onto the brush. The car wash according to claim 4, wherein the brush is cleaned by rotating around the rotation axis in a state where the brush cleaning liquid is injected from the second cleaning nozzle.

6. A control method for a car wash including a car wash main body that washes a vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, and a brush, a tire wax nozzle, and a contact member attached to the car wash main body, wherein the brush moves between a standby position and a cleaning position, and a discharging step of discharging tire wax from the tire wax nozzle to the brush. The brush moves between a standby position and a cleaning position. A discharging step of discharging tire wax from the tire wax nozzle to the brush. A coating step of applying the tire wax to the tire by rotating the brush at the cleaning position where the tire wax is attached while bringing the brush into contact with the tire of the vehicle with a direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis; A control method for a car wash machine including a brush cleaning step of cleaning the brush by rotating the brush around the rotation axis while bringing the contact member into contact with the bristles of the brush at the standby position by moving the contact member in at least one of the front-rear direction and the up-down direction with respect to the vehicle.

7. A car wash machine body that washes the vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, A control method for a car wash machine including a brush, a tire wax nozzle, and a contact member attached to the car wash machine body, The brush moves between a standby position and a cleaning position where it contacts the tire of the vehicle, A tire cleaning step of cleaning the tire by rotating the brush at the cleaning position with a direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis, A discharging step of discharging tire wax from the tire wax nozzle to the brush, A coating step of applying the tire wax to the tire by rotating the brush around the rotation axis while bringing the brush at the cleaning position where the tire wax is attached into contact with the tire, Including a brush cleaning step of cleaning the brush by rotating the brush around the rotation axis while bringing the contact member into contact with the bristles of the brush at the standby position, A control method for a car wash machine in which the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis in the coating step is slower than the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis in the tire cleaning step in the tire cleaning step.

8. A car wash machine body that washes the vehicle by relative movement in the front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle, A control method for a car wash machine including a brush, a tire wax nozzle, a second cleaning nozzle, and a contact member attached to the car wash machine body, The brush moves between a standby position and a cleaning position where it contacts the tire of the vehicle, A tire cleaning step of cleaning the tire by rotating the brush at the cleaning position with a direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the tire as the rotation axis, A discharging step of discharging tire wax from the tire wax nozzle to the brush, An application step of applying the tire wax to the tire by rotating the brush around the rotation axis while bringing the brush at the cleaning position to which the tire wax is attached into contact with the tire; A brush cleaning liquid injection step of injecting a brush cleaning liquid from the second cleaning nozzle onto the brush; A brush cleaning step of cleaning the brush by rotating the brush around the rotation axis while bringing the contact member into contact with the bristles of the brush at the standby position in a state where the brush cleaning liquid is attached to the brush; and A control method for a car wash machine in which the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis in the brush cleaning step is slower than the rotational speed of the brush around the rotation axis in the tire cleaning step.

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