A car washing device that can accurately detect the vehicle's location using an ultrasonic sensor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a car wash device capable of accurately detecting the location of a vehicle using ultrasonic sensors, wherein two ultrasonic sensors are configured into a single structure and the divergence angles of the two ultrasonic sensors are limited, thereby enabling accurate determination of the location of the vehicle according to the entry and exit of the vehicle at the location where the ultrasonic sensors are installed, so that undercarriage washing and main washing operations of the vehicle can be carried out safely and easily at the accurate location.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a car wash device configured to allow the simultaneous use of two ultrasonic sensors in a manner that limits the divergence angle, and by applying this to a car wash to accurately determine the location of a vehicle, thereby facilitating undercarriage washing and main washing operations. Background Technology

[0002] An ultrasonic sensor is a sensor that measures the distance to an object using ultrasonic waves and is widely used for distance measurement or object detection. The main components of an ultrasonic sensor include a transmitter, a receiver, a control circuit, and a microcontroller.

[0003] The transmitter serves to generate ultrasound, which is emitted from the sensor, reflected by an object, and then received back by the receiver. The ultrasound emitted by the transmitter is reflected back depending on the distance to the object, and the receiver detects and receives this reflection. At this time, the time from transmission to reception is measured, and the distance to the object can be measured using the distance defined by the speed of sound.

[0004] Ultrasonic sensors are widely used due to their advantages, such as their simple structure, resistance to moisture, and unaffected by the surrounding environment, as well as their ability to reliably detect or measure distances within a defined range without contact, regardless of object characteristics or surrounding conditions such as dust.

[0005] However, since the ultrasonic waves generated by the transmitter of the ultrasonic sensor typically have a wavelength of more than 60 degrees (divination angle) from the front of the transmitter, they are affected by interference from objects and it is difficult to accurately determine the position of the object.

[0006] For this reason, the presence or absence of an object can be determined, and usage is limited to restricted applications such as measuring the distance of an object placed in front of the sensor.

[0007] That is, as shown in Figure 1, a typical ultrasonic sensor indicates the same distance for two objects, Object 1 and Object 2, from a single ultrasonic sensor. In other words, there was a problem because the positions of the two objects were determined to be the same position based on the divergence angle. Prior art literature

[0008] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application 10-1997-0061659 (Date of publication: September 12, 1997) The problem to be solved

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a car wash device capable of accurately detecting the location of a vehicle using ultrasonic sensors, wherein two ultrasonic sensors are installed in a single body part and additionally reflector parts are installed on both sides of each ultrasonic sensor to limit the divergence angle of each ultrasonic sensor so that it does not spread out of the reflector parts, thereby reliably detecting a vehicle located in front of the two ultrasonic sensors, and thereby reliably determining the location of a vehicle entering and exiting the undercarriage wash and main wash spaces at a car wash, so that car wash operations can be carried out safely and easily.

[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be described below and will be known from the embodiments of the present invention. Additionally, the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by means and combinations set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0011] The present invention is a means for solving the above-mentioned problems,

[0012] A body part (10) that is installed upright in a vertical direction and has a rectangular cross-section;

[0013] A reflector section (20) composed of a left reflector (21) and a right reflector (22) that are formed to protrude forward from each side of the body section (10);

[0014] A sensor device (100) is configured by comprising: an ultrasonic sensor unit (30) which is installed spaced apart from each other on the front surface of the body part (10) between the left and right reflectors (21, 22) and generates an ultrasonic signal toward the front of the body part (10), wherein the first ultrasonic sensor (31) is installed adjacent to the right reflector (22) and the second ultrasonic sensor (32) is installed adjacent to the left reflector (21).

[0015] The above right reflector (22) limits the divergence angle (C) so that the ultrasound of the first ultrasonic sensor (31) does not deviate from the first virtual line (L1), which is the protruding direction of the right reflector (22), and the above left reflector (21) limits the divergence angle (C) so that the ultrasound of the second ultrasonic sensor (32) does not deviate from the second virtual line (L2), which is the protruding direction of the left reflector (21), thereby,

[0016] It is characterized by enabling accurate identification of a detection target detected between the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2). Effects of the invention

[0017] As seen above, the present invention has the effect of accurately determining the presence or absence of a vehicle in front of the body by installing two ultrasonic sensors in one body part and limiting the angle of ultrasonic signal emission spreading to both sides in addition to the front of the body part through a reflector part.

[0018] In addition, when used at a car wash, the present invention has the effect of accurately determining whether a vehicle is entering or leaving the location where the ultrasonic sensor is installed, thereby enabling undercarriage washing and main washing operations to proceed safely and easily. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0019] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional object recognition method using a sensor. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment showing a sensor device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment showing an object recognition method according to the present invention. FIGS. 4 and 5 are configuration diagrams of an embodiment showing a vehicle recognition method at a car wash according to the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0020] Before describing various embodiments of the present invention in detail, it will be understood that the application is not limited to the details of the configuration and arrangement of components described in the following detailed description or illustrated in the drawings. The present invention may be embodied and practiced in other embodiments and may be carried out in various ways. Furthermore, it will be understood that the expressions and terms used herein regarding device or element orientations (e.g., "front," "back," "up," "down," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "lateral") are used merely to simplify the description of the present invention and do not indicate or imply that the related device or element must simply have a specific orientation. Additionally, terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this and the appended claims for illustrative purposes and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or intent.

[0021] The present invention has the following features to achieve the above objective.

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Instead, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms to best describe his invention, they should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0023] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, and that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0025] Hereinafter, a car wash device capable of accurately detecting the position of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0026] A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the location of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor according to the present invention is a device for determining the exact location of a vehicle in a car wash (W) through a sensor device (100) (body part (10), reflector part (20), ultrasonic sensor part (30)) so that car washing work can be carried out safely and easily.

[0028] If we look at the configuration of the sensor device (100) above,

[0029] The above body part (10) is a housing in which the ultrasonic sensor part (30) and the reflector part (20), which will be described later, are installed. It is intended to install the ultrasonic sensor part (30) at a location where a user can determine the location of the vehicle. In the present invention, as an embodiment, it is installed upright in the vertical direction and has a shape in which the horizontal length is longer than the vertical length and has a rectangular cross-section.

[0030] Of course, an installation plate with a hole drilled for installing and fixing the body part (10) can be made to protrude horizontally on both sides of the bottom surface of the body part (10).

[0032] The above-described reflector section (20) is composed of a left reflector (21) and a right reflector (22) that are formed to protrude forward, in the direction of ultrasonic signal generation, on both sides of the front surface (the surface where the ultrasonic sensor section (30) below is installed) of the aforementioned body section (10).

[0034] The above ultrasonic sensor unit (30) is an ultrasonic device that is installed spaced apart from each other on the front surface of the body unit (10) between the aforementioned left and right reflectors (21, 22) and is composed of first and second ultrasonic sensors (31, 32) that each generate an ultrasonic signal toward the front of the body unit (10), wherein the first ultrasonic sensor (31) is installed adjacent to the right reflector (22) and the second ultrasonic sensor (32) is installed adjacent to the left reflector (21).

[0035] The right reflector (22) of the above reflector section (20) limits the divergence angle (C) so that the ultrasonic waves from the first ultrasonic sensor (31) do not deviate from the first virtual line (L1), which is the protruding direction of the right reflector (22), and the left reflector (21) limits the divergence angle (C) so that the ultrasonic waves from the second ultrasonic sensor (32) do not deviate from the second virtual line (L2), which is the protruding direction of the left reflector (21), thereby enabling accurate identification of the object to be detected between the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2).

[0038] A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the vehicle position using the ultrasonic sensor of the present invention utilizes a sensor device (100) having the aforementioned configuration,

[0039] The aforementioned sensor device (100) is installed and used at the lower car wash point (B) and the main car wash point (B) of the car wash (W), respectively. By checking whether a vehicle is located between the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2) or has moved out of the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2) based on the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2), the entry and exit status of the vehicle at the lower car wash point (B) and the main car wash point (B) of the car wash (W) is accurately determined, thereby enabling control of the operation of the lower car wash device, control of the operation of the main car wash device, and control of the vehicle's position (such as giving a signal to reverse the vehicle to the main car wash point).

[0040] At this time, it is preferable that the ratio between the protrusion length (a) of the reflector part (20) and the distance (b) between the left and right reflectors (21, 22) be 1:2, so that the left portion of the ultrasonic signal of the first ultrasonic sensor (31) is not obstructed by the left reflector (21) and is not blocked, and the right portion of the ultrasonic signal of the second ultrasonic sensor (32) is not obstructed by the right reflector (22) and is not blocked. It is obvious that the above ratio can be varied from 1:2 for this effect.

[0043] The following describes an example of applying a sensor device (100) having the above configuration to a car wash (W).

[0044] The sensor device (100) above

[0045] One sensor device is installed at the lower washing point (B) of the car wash (W), and for convenience of explanation, it is named the first sensor device (110). Two sensor devices are installed at the main washing point (B), and for convenience of explanation, they are named the second sensor device (120) and the third sensor device (130).

[0046] In the case of the above undercarriage wash point (B),

[0047] A first sensor device (110) is installed on one side of the entrance of the car wash (W) and detects a vehicle from the side of a vehicle passing through the car wash (W). When the first ultrasonic sensor (31) among the first and second ultrasonic sensors (31, 32) of the first sensor device (110) detects a vehicle, it is determined that the vehicle has entered, and a lower car wash operation is performed by a separate lower car wash device installed at the lower car wash point. Subsequently, when the vehicle continues to move forward and is not detected by both the first and second ultrasonic sensors (31, 32), it is determined that the lower car wash operation is completed.

[0048] In the case of the above main car wash location (B),

[0049] A second sensor device (120) is installed on one side of the main car wash point (B) inside the car wash (W), and a third sensor device (130) is continuously installed in the direction of vehicle exit, spaced apart from the second sensor device (120).

[0050] When the vehicle passes the lower car wash point (B) and the vehicle is detected by the first ultrasonic sensor (31) of the second sensor device (120), it is determined that the vehicle has entered the main car wash point (B). However, when the vehicle is also detected by the first ultrasonic sensor (31) of the third sensor device (130), a signal is transmitted to the driver to reverse the vehicle to a position where it is not detected by the third sensor device (130) but is detected by the second sensor device (120) (various configurations may be used, such as displaying a reversing instruction on a separate display at the car wash so that the driver can see it). After the vehicle is positioned correctly at the main car wash point (B), the main car wash operation is carried out for a preset time. Subsequently, when the vehicle exits the car wash (W) and is not detected by both the second and third sensor devices (120, 130), it is determined that the car wash operation of the vehicle is completed.

[0051] The above judgment may be made by a separate control unit (or sensor receiving unit), and such a control unit receives signals from the first ultrasonic sensor (31) and the second ultrasonic sensor (32) installed in the first, second, and third sensor devices (110, 120, 130), respectively, and causes the undercarriage wash device or the main car wash device to operate and stop according to the signals of each ultrasonic sensor as described above, and also enables operation such as displaying the vehicle's reverse signal through a separate display installed in the car wash (W).

[0054] As described above, although the present invention has been explained by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and it is obvious that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims described below by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Explanation of the symbols

[0055] 10: Body part 20: Reflector section 21: Left reflector 22: Right reflector 30: Ultrasonic sensor unit 31: First ultrasonic sensor 32: Second ultrasonic sensor 40: Installation plate 41: Hall 100: Sensor device 110: First sensor device 120: Second sensor device 130: Third sensor device L1: First virtual line L2: Second virtual line

Claims

Claim 1 A body part (10) having a rectangular cross-section and installed upright in a vertical direction; a reflector part (20) composed of a left reflector (21) and a right reflector (22) each protruding forward from both sides of the body part (10); and an ultrasonic sensor part (30) composed of first and second ultrasonic sensors (31, 32) each installed spaced apart from each other on the front surface of the body part (10) between the left and right reflectors (21, 22) and generating an ultrasonic signal toward the front of the body part (10), wherein the first ultrasonic sensor (31) is installed adjacent to the right reflector (22) and the second ultrasonic sensor (32) is installed adjacent to the left reflector (21). A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the location of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor, characterized by configuring a sensor device (100) composed of such a right reflector (22) so that the ultrasonic waves of the first ultrasonic sensor (31) do not deviate from the first virtual line (L1) which is the protruding direction of the right reflector (22), and the left reflector (21) so that the ultrasonic waves of the second ultrasonic sensor (32) do not deviate from the second virtual line (L2) which is the protruding direction of the left reflector (21), thereby enabling accurate identification of a detection target object detected between the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2). Claim 2 A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the position of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor, characterized in that, in the first paragraph, the sensor device (100) is installed at the lower car wash point (B) and the main car wash point (B) of the car wash (W), respectively, and by checking whether the vehicle is located between the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2) or has moved out of the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2) based on the first and second virtual lines (L1, L2), the vehicle is accurately identified as being entered or exited at the lower car wash point (B) and the main car wash point (B) of the car wash (W), thereby enabling control of the operation of the lower car wash device and the main car wash device. Claim 3 A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the vehicle position using an ultrasonic sensor, characterized in that, in claim 1, the ratio of the protrusion length (a) of the reflector part (20) and the distance (b) between the left and right reflectors (21, 22) is 1:2, so that the left portion of the ultrasonic signal of the first ultrasonic sensor (31) is not obstructed and is not blocked by the left reflector (21), and the right portion of the ultrasonic signal of the second ultrasonic sensor (32) is not obstructed and is not blocked by the right reflector (22). Claim 4 In claim 1, the sensor device (100) is installed with one at the lower car wash point (B) and two at the main car wash point (B) of the car wash (W). At the lower car wash point (B), a first sensor device (110) is installed on one side of the entrance of the car wash (W). When the first ultrasonic sensor (31) detects something, it is determined that the vehicle has entered, and the lower car wash operation is performed by the lower car wash device. Subsequently, when the vehicle moves forward and is not detected by both the first and second ultrasonic sensors (31, 32), it is determined that the lower car wash operation is completed. At the main car wash point (B), a second sensor device (120) is installed on one side of the car wash point inside the car wash (W), and a third sensor device (130) is continuously installed in the direction of the vehicle's exit, spaced apart from the second sensor device (120), so that it passes the lower car wash point (B). A car wash device capable of accurately detecting the location of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor, characterized by: when the first ultrasonic sensor (31) of the second sensor device (120) detects a vehicle, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the main car wash point (B); and when the first ultrasonic sensor (31) of the third sensor device (130) also detects a vehicle, a signal is transmitted to the driver to reverse the vehicle to a position where it is not detected by the third sensor device (130) but is detected by the second sensor device (120), thereby ensuring the vehicle is positioned correctly at the main car wash point (B), and then the main car wash operation is carried out by the main car wash device for a preset time, and thereafter, when the vehicle exits the car wash facility (W) and is not detected by both the second and third sensor devices (120, 130), it is determined that the car wash operation of the vehicle is completed.

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