Car washing machine

[57] ABSTRACT

A vehicle washing machine comprises a pair of uprights interconnected at their upper ends by a bracing structure. Each of the uprights supports a carrier on which a vertically spaced set of spray nozzles are mounted and which can be swivelled to direct the nozzles to either side of the plane defined by the uprights. One of the uprights supports for vertical movement a horizontal carrier for a set of horizontally spaced nozzles, and this carrier can also be swivelled to direct the sprays to either side of said plane. Simultaneously with the swivelling each of the carriers moves lengthwise of itself a distance equal to half the spacing of the nozzles. The machine bridges the vehicle to be washed and traverses backwards and forwards along the vehicle with the nozzles inclined in the direction of travel. At each end of the travel the horizontal carrier moves down and up again along the uprights to wash the front and back of the vehicle. The machine makes separate traversing movements, first with a washing fluid, secondly with a neutralizing fluid and finally with water. The swivelling of the carriers at each end of the traverse moves the carriers through half the nozzle pitch distance so that the nozzles spray along different paths during the return movement. The uprights may be mounted on separate bogies or may be mounted on a single bogie one of the uprights being supported in cantilever fashion.

Claims, 11 Drawing Figures

<img file="US3844480A_D0001.tif" />

PATENTED OCT 29 1974

3,844,480

SHEET 1 OF 7

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PATENTED OCT 29 1974

SHEET 2 OF 7

3,844,480

<img file="US3844480A_D0003.tif" />

PATENTED OCT 2 9 1974

SHEET 3 OF 7

3,844,480

<img file="US3844480A_D0004.tif" />

PATENTED0ET29I974 3.844.480

SHEET 4 OF 7

<img file="US3844480A_D0005.tif" />

<img file="US3844480A_D0006.tif" />

PATENTED OCT 2 9 1974

SHEET 5 OF 7

3.844,480

<img file="US3844480A_D0007.tif" />

PATENTED oct 2 9 1874

3,844,480

SHEET B Of 7

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Fig.ίθ

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PATENTED OCT 2 9 1974

SHEET 7 OF 7

3,844,480

<img file="US3844480A_D0010.tif" />

3,844,480

CAR WASHING MACHINE

This invention relates to vehicle washing machines and has a particularly useful but by no means exclusive application in a coin-operated machine for washing motor cars and small vans.

The present invention provides a vehicle washing machine comprising a frame for straddling a vehicle to be washed, two sets of vertically spaced spray nozzles carried by the frame and directed inwardly towards each other, a third set of horizontally-spaced spray nozzles which are carried by the frame and directed downwardly and which extend between the said two sets of nozzles, means for traversing the third set of nozzles upwards and downwards in the plane of the frame, means for swivelling the nozzles of the third set about a horizontal axis to direct them to either side of the general plane of the frame, means for shifting the third set of nozzles in the general direction of their spacing from each other during the swivelling of the nozzles whereby the positions of the nozzles of the third set when swivelled to be directed to one side of the general plane of the frame are laterally staggered from their positions when swivelled to be directed to the other side of said plane, and means for supplying liquid under pressure to the nozzles.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a machine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view in plan of the machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the sequence of operation,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary diagrammatic representations of elements of the machine,

FIG. 7 is an end view showing the cross-linkage interconnecting the gantry uprights,

FIG. 8 is a view in plan corresponding to FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan view corresponding to FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 illustrates a modified version of the machine.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the illustrated machine is intended primarily for washing motor cars and small vans. The basic structure of the machine comprises two bogies 10,11, a gantry consisting of two uprights 12,13 which are secured to the respective bogies 10,11 and braced by links 10α, 11α connected to the bogies, and a cross-linkage 14 (see FIGS. 7 to 9) which is covered by a casing 15 and which interconnects the upper ends of the uprights. Each bogie is mounted on front and rear wheels 16, 17, the front wheels 16 being driven by respective hydraulic motors 18. The wheels are flanged and run on short parallel lengths of rail 19. The illustrated machine is intended to be coin-operated and fully automatic, and the various electrical control devices are conveniently grouped in the casing of the bogie 11.

The cross-linkage 14 is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 and includes a cross-member 20 extending between the uprights and two radius arms 21, 22 extending between the uprights and a central part of the cross-member 20.

The connection between each upright and the crossmember 20 comprises a pin 23 which has one end anchored to the upright through a uni versal joint 23α and which has its other end in telescoping engagement with the adjacent end portion of a tubular element 24 secured within the cross-member. The pin has a flange 25 which limits the telescoping movement of the pin into the cross-member tubular element 24. The ends of each of the radius arms 21,22 are connected to the associated uprights 12 and 13 and to the cross-member by pivot joints 26, 27 whose axes are at right angles to each other. The effect of the linkage 14 is to permit slight splaying of the lower parts of the uprights away from each other but to prevent lateral movements of the uprights tending to “lozenge” the assembly of the uprights and cross-linkage. Splaying to a small extent, accompanied by a slight twisting movement, may be experienced owing to the fact that synchronization of the driving motors on the bogies is not acceptable in all circumstances. The splaying has therefore to be accommodated to some extent, but “lozenging” is undesirable and is prevented by the flanges 25, which limit the angle between each upright and the cross-member to a minimum value of substantially 90°.

A horizontal carrier 35 extending between the uprights is supported at one end by a cantilever member 31 connected through a vertical pivot connection 31α to a guide assembly 32 incorporating a nut 32α engaged on a vertical lead screw 33 housed in the upright 13. The guide assembly also incorporates guide rollers 32b engaged in channel section members 13α of the upright 13. The screw is driven by a motor (not shown) to raise and lower the carrier 35. The other end of the carrier carries a bifurcated element which embraces a fixed vertical tubular guide member housed in the upright

The cantilever member supports the carrier 35 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis extending lengthwise thereof, and the carrier has on its underside two lines of downwardly directed nozzles 36, the nozzles in each line being evenly spaced apart lengthwise of the carrier. The pivot mountings 37 of the carrier (see FIG. 6) permit it to be moved a limited amount lengthwise of itself relative to the member 31, and for the latter purpose the cylinder 39 of a double-acting hydraulic motor 40 is secured to the carrier coaxially with the pivot axis of the pivot mountings 37, and the piston 41 is slidably and rotatably mounted in the cylinder and is anchored to the carrier through a piston rod 41α. A rod 42 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is secured by its ends to the member 31 and is inclined to the lengthwise dimension of the carrier. Two fixed pegs 43 project from the upper side of the carrier and engage diametrically op25 posite sides of the rod 42, so that when the carrier 35 is moved lengthwise of itself by the hydraulic motor 40 the carrier is swivelled about the pivot mountings 37 relative to the member 31. The inclination of the rod 42 is such that the angle through which the nozzles are ₆₀ swivelled is substantially 60°, i.e. to 30° on either side of the vertical. The extent of the lateral shift of the carrier by the hydraulic motor 40 is equal to half the distance between adjacent nozzles 36 projected on to a line extending lengthwise of the carrier.

Each of the uprights 12,13 has connected to it a vertical carrier 45 (see FIG. 10) on which is mounted a line of vertically spaced spray nozzles 36 directed transversely towards the other upright. This carrier is

3,844,480 pivotally mounted on the upright for swivelling about a vertical axis and for simultaneous vertical shifting and is operated in this respect in the same manner as the carrier 35, i.e. by a hydraulic motor 40 and inclined rod 42. The two angular end positions of the carrier 45 are such that the axis of symmetry of the spray away from the nozzles is inclined at approximately 30° in one direction or the other to the transverse general plane defined by the uprights.

The machine has ducts and pipes for conveying an acidic washing liquid, a neutralising liquid and water to the nozzles 36 on all the carriers, and external connections 46 are provided on the bogie 11 to enable flexible pipes conveying these liquids to be coupled thereto.

A sensing system comprising lengths of wire 48 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) disposed at certain points on the machine is provided for detecting when a vehicle to be washed is in a wrong position relative to the machine. The wires are connected to switches so that if any wire is displaced, for example by contact with the vehicle, the washing cycle will not start or, if it has already started, will not continue and the machine will stop.

The operation of the illustrated machine is as follows. The machine is initially disposed at the leftward extremity of its travel along the guide rails 19 as viewed in FIG. 3, the carrier 35 being in its topmost position, and a motor car to be washed will be driven by its driver between the uprights from the left and will be stopped with its rear bumper a little way beyond the uprights 12, 13. Initiation of a vehicle washing operation, when the sensing devices indicate that the car is in a correct position, may be by means of a coin inserted in a slot before the vehicle enters the machine and causes the acidic washing liquid to be supplied to one line of nozzles on the carrier 35 and all of the side nozzles. The ³⁵carriers are disposed so that the nozzles are at this time inclined rightwards (see position (z) in FIG. 4). Substantially simultaneously with the supply of the washing liquid to the nozzles, the driving motors 18 on the bogies are actuated to cause the bogies to traverse the machine to the right, spraying the top and sides of the vehicle with the cleansing liquid. When the gantry has reached a predetermined position, which is beyond the front of the vehicle (position (zz) in FIG. 4), the motors of the bogies are stopped automatically, all the carriers are swivelled into their other end positions, so that the nozzles 36 are directed leftward towards the vehicle and are shifted a small distance in a direction lengthwise of their carriers, and the supply of washing liquid to the side nozzles is interrupted, but washing liquid is now supplied to both lines of nozzles on carrier 35. The lead screw 33 is now driven to lower the carrier 35 and its nozzles to spray the front of the car, and when the nozzles reach a selected level (position zzz) in FIG. 4), the direction of rotation of the lead screw is reversed to raise the carrier 35 to its original position relative to ing fluid to the side sprays is stopped, but washing liquid is supplied to both of the horizontal lines of nozzles and the carrier 35 is moved downward from position vi in FIG. 4 to a selected height (position vz'z) and then up5 ward to its starting position (z) so as to make two passes spraying the back of the vehicle. The supply of washing liquid to the nozzles is now discontinued and instead a neutralising liquid is supplied to the nozzles. The sequence of spraying operations is now repeated using ° the neutralising liquid. Finally clean water is supplied to the nozzles and the same sequence of operation is carried out again except that the supply of water to the side nozzles is not discontinued during the downward and upward movements of the carrier 35.

¹⁵ A photoelectric cell may be employed to detect the entry of the vehicle between the uprights and to check that the rear of the vehicle is sufficiently far forward for it not to be struck by the carrier 35 during its down2θ ward movement. Similarly a photoelectric cell may be ^υ employed to detect when the maximum height of the vehicle is less than a predetermined value and when such a vehcile enters the machine to initiate a modified cycle of operation in which the carrier 35 operates 25 from s reduced maximum height.

In a modified version of the machine shown in FIG. 11, the bogie 10 is omitted and the entire assembly is supported by bogie 11, which is provided with additional stablising wheels (or their equivalent) either en30 gaging an additional rail 19 or the ground. In this modified version the cross-linkage 14 is replaced by a rigid cross-member and the upright 12 is suspended from the cross-member.