Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
APPARATUS FOR WASHING VEHICLES
This invention relates to an apparatus for washing vehicles and
is particularly but not exclusively designed for washing large vehicles such
as
road transport trucks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known that the regular washing of vehicles is highly
desirable not only to maintain an attractive appearance but also to maintain
effective working condition of the vehicle. Many operators of trucks and
similar vehicles therefore set up a bay in which the trucks can be washed.
This enables the trucks from that company to present an attractive
appearance on the road to maintain the image of the trucking company and
also to ensure proper and effective maintenance of paint work and moving
parts.
Bays for washing cars and buses can be relatively
straightforward in operation and control since the dimensions of the vehicle
are relatively standard. Many of the older type washing systems use rotating
cylindrical brushes and simple low pressure spray nozzles and these are
controlled by a float system so that the contact with the vehicle itself
causes
the axle of the cylindrical brush to move the required position to maintain
the
bristles of the brush in contact with the vehicle under the required pressure.
More recently it has become more desirable to wash vehicles
using high pressure spray nozzles. The spray nozzles have the advantage
that they can effect cleaning action at positions which cannot be directly
contacted with the conventional brush and since the spray nozzles avoid the
2
direct physical contact with the brush which can be damaging to paint work
and movable elements on the vehicle.
Spray nozzles are most effective at a predetermined distance of
eighteen inches from the vehicle surface. They can however act at greater
distances but there is of course a limit on the effective distance from the
vehicle surface. In relation to vehicles of a relatively fixed length such as
automobiles and buses, this can be accommodated. Ryko Manufacturing Co.
of Grimes IA disclose a washing device of this type for trucks with the
ability
to wash the front, rear and top surfaces of the truck. The device is shown in
their brochure AS90 SATURN which shows an arrangement which uses a
manual input to enter the approximate length and height due to the widely
different dimensions of vehicles to be washed. The device then treats the
vehicle as a rectangular box of the height and length dimensions entered so
that the washing action is relatively inefficient in that the nozzles are not
maintained at the required distance from the surface of the vehicle. The
device has side nozzles which wash the sides and a top boom which can
move up and down and can rotate to wash front, rear and top surfaces.
One arrangement for washing vehicles which uses sensors to
attempt to keep high pressure nozzles within required distances of the
surface of a vehicle is shown in U.S. Patents 5,016,622 and 4,865,058 of
Crotts et al. However this uses a simple pivoting arm arrangement with one
arm at a front and a second at a rear, both mounted on a moving gantry, the
arms themselves carry sensors so that the arm is prevented from moving too
close to the vehicle surface. This pivotal movement and relatively crude
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3
control does not allow the close control of the nozzles necessary for optimum
efficiency. In addition, the device has achieved little commercial success, it
is
believed because the control system will be ineffective in the harsh
environment of the high pressure nozzles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an
apparatus for washing vehicles which can accommodate vehicles of different
dimensions and provides close control over the movement of the nozzles to
obtain effective cleaning action..
According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an
apparatus for washing vehicles comprising:
a vehicle receiving station into which a vehicle can be moved
longitudinally to a wash position therein;
a carriage having a carriage support and drive arrangement
mounting the carriage for movement relative to the station longitudinal of the
vehicle in the wash position, ,the station and carriage being arranged such
that the station supports the vehicle in fixed stationary position during
movement of the carriage and washing and such that movement necessary
to effect the washing is carried out by the carriage;
a plurality of high pressure spray nozzles mounted on the
carriage for non-contact cleaning of the vehicle by high pressure fluid;
a support member carried by the carriage for longitudinal
movement therewith and movable in a direction upward and downward
relative to the carriage and therefore relative to the vehicle, at least some
of
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4
the spray nozzles being mounted on the support member for movement
therewith;
means for detecting a series of positions of the carriage as it is
moved longitudinally of the station with the vehicle stationary in the
station;
scanning means mounted on the carriage for movement
therewith for detecting at each of said series of positions a ~ height of the
vehicle;
computer control means having a memory for storing said
positions and said heights so as to store information defining a side profile
of
the vehicle;
said computer control means being arranged to cause said
carriage to move along the station in a first pass and to store said
information from said first pass;
said computer control means being arranged to cause said
carriage including the scanning means and the support member to move
along the station in at least one subsequent pass over the vehicle to effect
washing of the vehicle;
said computer control means being arranged to cause movement
of the support member relative to carriage in said at least one subsequent
pass over the vehicle in dependence on the stored side profile.
Preferably the scanning means comprises an array of stationary
sensors mounted on the carriage for movement therewith.
Preferably the array includes a vertical series of vertically spaced
sensors each respective sensor being responsive to the presence of an
5
element of the vehicle aligned with the respective sensor and wherein the
scanning means includes means for detecting positions of the carriage
longitudinally of the vehicle for generating a matrix of the positions of the
carriage and the state of the sensors at those positions.
Preferably each sensor comprises a light source on one side of
the carriage and a light detector on an opposed side of the carriage aligned
with the light source whereby the outline of the vehicle is detected by light
beams between the light sources and the detectors.
Preferably there is provided a first set of spray nozzles mounted
on the carriage for movement therewith, the first set being mounted on a pair
of depending side members each arranged on the respective side of the
vehicle with the spray nozzles thereon arranged for spraying inwardly toward
a side of the vehicle and wherein there is provided a second set of nozzles
mounted on the support member for movement therewith.
Preferably the support member includes a horizontal beam
carrying a plurality of spray nozzles thereon, the beam being movable
vertically relative to the carriage and wherein the beam is rotatable about a
horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from a
first position supporting the spray nozzles to spray horizontally forwardly to
a
second position turned through 90° from the first position supporting
the
spray nozzles for spraying vertically downwardly and to a third position
turned 90° from a second position for supporting the spray nozzles to
spray
horizontally rearwardly.
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Preferably the carriage includes means for generating high
pressure flow of cleaning fluid and means for generating a low pressure flow
of cleaning fluid and wherein the scanning means is arranged to detect the
surface of the vehicle during a period only the low pressure flow is
generated.
Preferably the support member is maintained in a fixed raised
position relative to the carriage as the carriage is moved between a front end
and a rear end of the vehicle while the scanning means is operated.
Preferably the array is arranged forwardly of the support
member for detecting an end surface of the vehicle in advance of the support
member reaching the end surface and wherein the carriage is maintained
stationary while the support member is moved for washing the end surface.
Preferably there is provided manual input means for inputting
information as to whether the vehicle to be cleaned is loaded or unloaded and
control means arranged such that the second set of nozzles on the support
member are closed during passage of the support member over a top of the
vehicle if the vehicle is loaded.
Preferably the first set includes vertically spaced subsets of the
nozzles and wherein at least one of the subsets is closed in response to
detection of a height of the side profile which different from the height of
the
subset.
Preferably there is provided means for supplying an acid presoak
fluid and an alkali presoak fluid and manual input means for inputting
information for selecting one of the acid and alkali presoak fluids.
F
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a washing bay for
washing trucks including the apparatus of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is schematic illustration of the drive system to the
boom of the washing bay of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is one part only showing the boom in more detail of the
cross-section of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 5-5 of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale of one
spray hub taken along the lines 6-6 of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a schematic layout of the plumbing system and
control system of the washing bay of Figure 1.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The washing assembly for trucks and similar vehicles shown in
the figures includes a building structure (not shown) which is of sufficient
length, width and height to define a bay inside the building with overhead
doors at front and rear ends of the bay. Within the bay is defined a vehicle
washing station within which the vehicle can be located for washing by the
assembly shown in the Figures.
8
Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 5, the truck is generally
indicated at 10 located within the building for washing of the truck including
a tractor 11 and a trailer 12. The side to side position of the vehicle within
the bay is defined by two rails 13 and 14 each mounted on the ground or the
floor ~of the bay with the rails being spaced by the width of the vehicle and
arranged longitudinally of the bay.
Within the bay is mounted a moving gantry 15 which can run
along the length of the bay on rails 16 and 17 mounted on the floor parallel
to and spaced outwardly from the rails 13 and 14.
The gantry 15 includes two vertical side portions 18 and 19
together with a horizontal top connecting portion 20 providing structural
interconnection between the vertical portions to define a generally
rectangular arrangement with a hollow or open area inside the rectangular
gantry allowing the gantry to pass over the vehicle 10 in the washing action.
The rails 16 and 17 extend along the full length of the bay so the gantry can
move from a position forwardly of the forward end of the tractor as shown in
Figure 1 to a position rearwardly of a rear end of the trailer as shown in
Figure 5.
The vertical side portions 18 and 19 are of fixed spacing which
is arranged to be greater than the maximum allowable width of eight feet of
the vehicle so that the inside surfaces 21 of the vertical sides 18 and 19 are
spaced from the sides of the vehicle by a distance sufficient to receive the
spray nozzles described hereinafter.
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9
The gantry further carries a vertically moveable spray assembly
generally indicated at 22 which can move vertically upwardly and
downwardly between the two vertical sections 18 and 19. The spray
assembly 22 is also rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the spray assembly
between three different positions in which the spray nozzle thereon sprays
forwardly, downwardly or rearwardly as required.
Turning now to Figures 2 and 5, the arrangement of one of the
vertical sections 18 is shown. It will be appreciated that the opposite one 19
of the vertical sections forms substantially a mirror image of the section 18
shown particularly in Figure 2.
The vertical section 18 thus comprises a rectangular housing
having the front face 21, a rear face 23, side faces 24 and 25, all of which
are formed by sheet metal panels mounted on a frame structure defined by
tubular members 26. Similarly the connecting structure 20 is formed from
sheet metal panels and similar tubular frame members 26.
The front panel 21 thus forms a rectangular front face facing
the side of the vehicle to be washed. The front face 21 carries a row of
transmitters 27 arranged adjacent one side edge of the front face. The
transmitters 27 are equidistantly spaced in the row from a lowermost one
27A spaced partly upwardly from the bottom edge to an uppermost one 27B
which is arranged at a height equal to or above the maximum height of the
expected vehicles to be washed.
On the opposite side section 19 is provided a similar row or
array of receivers 28. The row 28 is arranged to be exactly symmetrical to
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the row 27 so that each transmitter 27 has an associated receiver 28 at the
same height. The beam of light 27C from the transmitter 27 is arranged to
have an angle of transmission so that it can be received by only a single one
of the receivers 28. Alternatively the transmitters and receivers may be
5 arranged in pairs for receiving light transmission at different frequencies.
Using either technique, the transmitters and receivers are thus arranged in
pairs so that each receiver is responsive to light only from its associated
transmitter and emits a signal when light is received and emits no signal
when light is blocked by the presence of a part of the vehicle therebetween.
10 The front face 21 further carries a first set of spray nozzles
generally indicated at 29 and a second set of spray nozzles generally
indicated at 30.
The first set of spray nozzles are rotatable and comprise four
hubs 31 at vertically spaced positions in a row vertically of the front face.
Each hub 31 is rotatable about a horizontal axis at right angles to the front
face 21 and each hub carries a plurality of radially extending wand arms 32
each having a nozzle 33 at its outer end. The nozzles are arranged to project
washing liquid forwardly from the front face generally at right angles to the
front face.
The second set of nozzles comprises a pair of vertical pipes 34
and 35 which are spaced horizontally and arranged to one side of the first set
of nozzles 29 which is opposite to the transmitters 27. Each of the pipes 34
and 35 carries a plurality of vertically spaced jet nozzles 36.
11
The first set of spray nozzles 29 is arranged for a high pressure
washing action. The second set of spray nozzles 30 is arranged for low
pressure washing action. Thus the nozzles are selected so that they
generate an effective spray pattern in response to the quantity and pressure
of washing fluid necessary for the high pressure and low pressure washing
actions respectively.
Each high pressure spray assembly (see Figure 6) comprises the
hub member 64 and two, three or four wands 32 which extend radially
outwardly from the hub. At the outer end of each of wand is provided the
spray nozzle 33. The spray nozzle thus directs spray generally in a direction
which is parallel to an axis 31 A of the hub 31. The hub has a hollow interior
for receiving high pressure liquid and communicating that liquid to the
nozzles
33. The two spray nozzles of each assembly are therefore parallel and
spaced on either side of the central axis 31 A of the assembly.
The hub 31 is mounted on an exposed end of a shaft 31 B which
is hollow so as to communicate high pressure liquid to the interior of the hub
31, the shaft having a plurality of radial holes 31 C allowing the liquid to
escape outwardly into the interior of the hub. The hub is a press fit onto the
shaft with two pairs of sealing rings 31 D, each pair arranged on a respective
side of the radial holes to prevent the axial escape of liquid while holding
the
hub in contact with the shaft. The hub is held in place by an end cap 31 E
but can however be simply pulled from the shaft for replacement after
removal of the end cap and can, if contacted by a fixed object, cease rotation
while the shaft continues to rotate about the axis 31 A. The shaft is
,.
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12
mounted in bearings 31 F mounted on the outside surface of the wall 21 and
projects through a hole in the wall into the interior of the vertical portion
18.
The shaft carries a sprocket 31 G which is fixed to the shaft for
communicating rotational movement to the shaft through a drive chain 31 H.
At the rear end of the shaft is provided a coupling 31 J which communicates
the high pressure liquid to the interior of the shaft without liquid being
received from a supply hose from a central supply source.
The shafts 31 B of the four assemblies 63 are thus parallel and
each supported on the inside wall 21. Each sprocket is in communication
with the drive chain so that all of the shafts are rotated each about its
respective axis at a common rotational speed. The chains are driven by a
hydraulic motor mounted at a suitable location.
The assemblies 63 thus face toward the sides of the vehicle as
the carriage is moved along the rails 16 and 17. The diameter of each
assembly is arranged so that they act together to cover the whole extent of
the side of the vehicle from a position at or closely adjacent the ground
surface to a position at the top of the maximum height vehicle allowable
within the washing area. The rotation of the assemblies hubs 31 ensures
that the full area of the side of the vehicle is covered in a sweeping action
by
each of the jet nozzles 33.
The front plate 21 includes a slot 37 extending vertically and
arranged between the pipes 34 and 35. The slot extends substantially the
full height of the plate 21 and receives the horizontal spray assembly 22 for
vertical movement upwardly and downwardly relative to the plate 21.
13
The horizontal spray assembly 22 comprises a central cylindrical
portion 38 which carries a plurality of spray nozzles including a first spray
assembly 39 and a second spray assembly 40.
The central cylindrical member 38 includes a plurality of
coupling plates 42 at spaced positions along the length of the cylindrical
member which extend from the inside surface of the cylindrical member to a
support pipe 43 carried inside the cylindrical member and rotatable therewith
about a central axis 44 of the cylindrical member. The central pipe 43 has
ends which project outwardly beyond ends of the cylindrical member into a
pair of supporting stub shafts 45 each carried on a respective one of the side
portions 18 and 19. Inside each stub shaft 45 is provided a central core
shaft 46 which carries on its outer surface a bearing 47 so that the inside of
the tube 43 is carried on the outside of the shaft 46 for rotation relative
thereto.
Turning now to Figure 3, it will be noted that each of the stub
shafts 45 is carried on a respective one of a pair of carriages 50 each
mounted within a respective one of the side portions 18 and 19. Thus each
carriage 50 comprises a base plate 51 at right angles to the axis 44 with the
stub shaft 45 projecting outwardly therefrom through the slot 37. The
outside surface of the plate 51 is carried on a pair of parallel rails 52 and
53
mounted in fixed position inside the interior of the respective side portion
18,
19. The plate 51 carries two sets of pulleys which run on the outside
surface of the rails 52, 53 to guide the plate 51 in vertical movement along
the slot. The plate 51 is attached to one run 54 of a chain. The opposite
r
14
run 56 of the chain carries a counterweight 57 which has sufficient mass so
that, in the absence of any drive to the chain, the counterweight pulls the
horizontal spray assembly 22 vertically upwardly to the top of the gantry.
The chains 55 are mounted on a pair of sprockets 58 carried on
a shaft 59 driven by a hydraulic drive assembly 60. The drive assembly 60
includes a motor 61 and a sprocket 62 mounted on the shaft 59. This
actuation of the motor 61 causes vertical driving movement of the horizontal
spray assembly 22 and a position of the horizontal spray assembly can be
adjusted by controlling actuation of the motor 61.
The carriages 50 are also connected by a horizontal crossbeam
63 which is located above the cylindrical portion and parallel thereto. The
beam 63 carries a bracket 64 at a position approximately midway along its
length. On the bracket 64 is carried a hydraulic motor 65 with a sprocket
driving a chain 66 which is wrapped around the cylindrical outside surface of
the cylindrical portion 38 and is attached thereto so the rotation of the
sprocket drives the chain 66 and causes rotation of the cylindrical member
38 about its axis 44.
Thus the cylindrical member 38 can be moved between three
positions shown best in Figure 4 and indicated at 38A, 38B and 38C.
The cylindrical member 38 includes two cutout portions 67 and
68 each of which is defined by a plate 69 lying across a chord of the circle
defining the cross-section of the cylindrical member 38. Thus each cutout
67, 68 extends from an end 70 to a second end 71 . The end 70 is arranged
closely adjacent the respective end of the cylindrical portion. The end 71 is
__
arranged adjacent to but spaced from the midpoint of the cylindrical portion
at which the chain 66 is located.
Each of the base plates 69 carries elements of the first spray
assembly 39 and the second spray assembly 40. Thus the first spray
5 assembly 39 of each of the cutouts comprises two hubs 72 substantially
identical in construction to the hubs 31 previously described. Thus each of
the hubs 72 carries similar wands 32 and spray nozzles 33. Each hub thus
defines an axis of rotation at right angles to the base plate 69.
The second spray assembly which is for low pressure washing
10 comprises a pair of pipes 73 and 74 each arranged on the base plate on a
respective side of the hubs 72 with the pipes 73 and 74 extending
longitudinally of the cylindrical member 38 and carrying a plurality of low
pressure spray nozzles 75 similar to the nozzles 36 of the pipes 34 and 35.
The beam 63 also carries at each end a pair of depending arms
15 76 and 77 which extend downwardly and outwardly from the beam each on
a respective side of the stub shafts 45. Thus a lower end 76A, 77A of each
of the arms is positioned outwardly of and downwardly of the cylindrical
member 38. At each bottom end of the arms is attached a wire coupling
assembly 79 so that two wires span the area between the lower ends of the
arms. Thus at the lower end of each arm 76 is attached the wire 80 by way
of the wire coupling elements 79 and similarly the wire 81 spans the area
between the lower ends of the arms 77. The wire coupling elements 79
simply comprise a mounting of the wire at one end and an electrical
connection and spring mounting at the other end which allows the wire to
y
16
pulled slightly by engagement with an object whereupon any further
deviation of the wire causes the electrical connection to be closed giving a
signal indicative of the engagement of the wire with the object.
The wires thus form a fail-safe detector system for ensuring that
the horizontal spray assembly 22 can not engage any portion of the vehicle
without providing an electrical indication which can shut down the drive to
the system.
Movement of the gantry along the rails 16 and 17 is effected by
a drive system including a drive motor 82 with a shaft 83 communicating
drive via a pulley 84 and chain 85 to one of a pair of or both of a pair of
mounting wheels 86 supporting the side portion of the gantry on the
respective rails 16, 17.
Turning now to Figure 7 there is shown a control system for the
various elements of the gantry including for controlling the drive motors 62,
65 and 82 previously described. In addition the system includes drive motors
87 and 88 which are provided to drive the rotation of the hubs 72 and 31
respectively.
Further the system includes a supply of water 88, a high
pressure pump 89, a primer pump 90, a supply of detergent 91, a supply of
acid pre-soak material 92 with an associated low pressure pump 92A, a
supply of alkali pre-soak material 93 with an associated low pressure pump
93A, a control unit 94 and a manually operable driver input unit 95. The
control unit 94 controls actuation of the high pressure pump 89 which
supplies water through the detergent supply system 91 to a plurality of
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17
output lines 96 which communicate through valves 97, 98, 99 and 100 to
the hubs 31 and 75. The primer pump feeding the high pressure pump
prevents cavitation.
As it will be noted that the valve 97 controls supply of washing
fluid to the lowermost hub 31 on each of the side portions of the gantry.
The valve 98 controls supply of washing fluid to the second and third hubs
of the side portions and the valve 99 controls supply of fluid to the
uppermost hub on the side portions. The valve 100 controls supply of fluid
to all of the hubs at 72 simultaneously.
The detergent supply 91 can be actuated or shut off by the
control unit 94 so that the water supplied by the high pressure pump can be
supplemented by detergent or free from the detergent.
The low pressure system receives either acid pre-soak material
from supply 92 and pump 92A or alkali pre-soak material from supply 93 and
pump 93A, under control from the control unit 94. The low pressure pumps
92A or 93A discharge the selected pre-soak material along output lines
through valves 101 and 102. The valve 101 controls the supply of the pre-
soak material to the pipes 73 and 74 of the horizontal spray assembly 22.
The valve 102 controls the supply of the pre-soak material to the pipes 34
and 35 of both of the side portions.
The driver input device 95 includes a plurality of selectable
switches 103, 104, 105 and 106. The selectable switches provide
alternative inputs for the driver to select. The switches 103 provide
selection by the driver to indicate to the system whether the driver wishes to
,.w,,
18
wash a highway tractor alone or a highway tractor attached to a semitrailer.
The second switch 104 requires the driver to select whether the vehicle to
be washed is a van or a semitrailer. Switch 105 requires the driver to select
whether the vehicle is loaded or is unloaded. Switch 106 requires the driver
to select whether the pre-soak material should be and acid material or an
alkali material.
Position detection for controlling the location of the gantry and
the horizontal support is provided by position sensors 61 A, 65A and 82A
respectively associated with the motors 61, 65 and 82. Each position sensor
comprises a wheel carried on the output shaft of the respective motor for
rotation with the shaft, which wheel carries a plurality of angularly spaced
magnets which actuate a proximity switch to generate a pulse for each
portion of rotation of the wheel. Thus the position of the carriage is defined
by counting pulses of the sensor 82A from one end stop of the movement of
the carriage with each pulse representing a distance of movement of the
carriage which in one practical example is 2.5 inches. In addition the
position of the horizontal support is defined by counting pulses of the sensor
61 A from an uppermost position of the support located against end stops at
the upper end of the carriage. The orientation of the support about its
longitudinal axis is detected by the position sensor 65A which cooperates
with magnets 65B carried on the shaft or (as shown) on the outside of the
cylindrical body of the support.
In operation, the driver and vehicle approach the building within
which the gantry and washing system are located. At the outside of the
1
19
entrance door the manual unit 95 is provided for access by the driver. The
manual unit 95 includes (not shown) systems for providing identification of
the driver and either payment or entrance of an identification code so that
the
necessary monetary considerations can be dealt with. On completing the
identification or monetary issues, the driver manually selects the switches
103 through 106 so as to provide information to the control unit as to the
type of wash to be effected.
On completion of input of information, the entrance door is
opened and the vehicle is driven into the bay. At the time of entrance, the
gantry is located at the entrance door so that the vehicle drives through the
gantry and takes up a position forwardly of the gantry at a point where the
vehicle is required to stop as indicated by the control system.
With the vehicle stopped in the required location, the system is
initialized by the control unit causing driving of the gantry and the support
on
the gantry to the end stops and setting the counted pulses at those locations
as position "one". The support is rotated back and forth between end stops
and the initial position is defined as the intermediate or horizontal
position.
The gantry is then moved forwardly toward the vehicle, thus approaching the
rear end of the vehicle. The detection array including the transmitters 27
continually transmits the beams across the area between the gantry. In the
absence of the rear of the vehicle, the beams are all unbroken indicating to
the control unit 94 that the rear of the vehicle has not yet been reached. It
will be noted that the transmitters 27 are at the front edge of the side
portions so that transmitters and receivers will encounter the vehicle
20
immediately the gantry reaches the rear of the vehicle. On reaching the rear
of the vehicle, as detected by the transmitter/receiver system, the forward
movement of the gantry is continued for a short period of time until the
horizontal spray assembly 22 is located immediately rearwardly of the
vehicle. At this time the gantry is halted from further forward movement and
the horizontal spray assembly is rotated to the position 38C (Figure 4) so the
spray nozzles project forwardly. The horizontal spray assembly is then moved
downwardly to its bottom position by counting the pulses from the sensor
61 A.
At this bottom position the low pressure pump 90 is actuated
with the selected one of the pre-soak materials and the valve 101 is actuated
to supply the pre-soak materials to the nozzle 75. The drive motor 62 is
actuated to drive the horizontal spray assembly vertically upwardly from its
lower position to its upper position while the spray nozzle continues to spray
forwardly to direct the pre-soak materials onto the rear surface of the
vehicle.
On reaching the upper position the drive motor 65 is actuated to
rotate the horizontal spray assembly to the position 38B with the nozzles
projecting vertically downwardly.
With the horizontal spray assembly moved to the raised
position, the movement of the gantry is recommenced and the gantry thus
moves along the vehicle from the rearward end to the forward end. During
the forward movement of the gantry along the length of the vehicle, the
transmitter/receiver arrangements monitor a pattern of the shape of the
21
vehicle by storing information concerning those receivers which are receiving
the associated beam and those which are blocked.
The information from the array of transmitter/receivers is
associated with an array of positions longitudinally of the vehicle to develop
in the control unit 94 a matrix having as a horizontal axis the horizontal
position and having as a vertical axis those transmitter/receivers which are
blocked. This matrix thus defines the shape of the vehicle in side elevation
including the shape of an upper surface, the shape of a lower surface and the
location of any vertical lines including both the front and rear lines and any
intervening lines.
During the scanning process, the spray nozzles 36 are actuated
by operation the valve 102. Thus the selected pre-soak material is applied to
the side surfaces of the vehicle. The detection and pre-soaking can be
carried simultaneously since the liquid from the pre-soak material is of
relatively low pressure and volume and thus does not interfere with the
optical transmission between the transmitters and receivers.
In the event that the vehicle is unloaded, as selected on the
input 95, the washing arrangement is selected by the control unit 94 to
effect the washing of the horizontal top surface of the vehicle. In the event
that the vehicle is loaded, the washing cycle can be arranged so that the
upper surface of the vehicle is not washed neither with pre-soak nor with
subsequent washing materials as described hereinafter. In the event that the
upper surface of the vehicle is not to be washed in the loaded condition the
respective valves supplying the washing material to the nozzles of the
22
horizontal spray assembly are closed off during the time that the horizontal
spray assembly is in the position 38B for washing the horizontal top surface.
On reaching the front of the vehicle as detected by the
transmitter/receiver arrangements detecting a condition in which all of the
beams are intact, the gantry is moved forwardly by a distance sufficient to
clear the horizontal spray assembly just beyond the front face of the vehicle
following which the motor 65 is actuated to rotate the horizontal spray
assembly to the position 38A and the motor 62 is actuated to drive the
horizontal spray assembly downwardly to continue spraying the front surface
of the vehicle.
Thus in the initial movement of the gantry, the device effects
the pre-soaking action but assumes during the pre-soaking action that the
vehicle is simply rectangular so there is no vertical movement of the
horizontal spray assembly in the initial action to follow the upper surface of
the vehicle.
After a period of time sufficient to allow the pre-soak material to
effect a pre-soaking action on the surfaces of the vehicle, the movement of
the gantry is reversed during a detergent application cycle.
Thus the valves 102 and 103 are closed and the low pressure
pump is switched off. The control unit then actuates the high pressure pump
and the detergent supply system so that high pressure detergent is supplied
through the high pressure lines to the valves 97, 98, 99 and 100.
In the first step the gantry is maintained stationary while the
detergent is supplied to the hubs 72 of the horizontal spray assembly with
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23
the horizontal spray assembly moved to the position 38A. Thus the front of
the vehicle is washed by vertical movement of the horizontal spray assembly
and by rotation of the hubs driven by the drive motor 87.
When the front of the vehicle is washed, the control unit
actuates rearward movement of the gantry and actuates vertical movement
of the horizontal spray assembly and actuates rotation of the horizontal spray
assembly to take up the position 38B.
The vertical movement of the horizontal spray assembly is
effected under control of the control unit is response to the matrix defining
the side profile of the vehicle so that at each horizontal position along the
length of the vehicle the horizontal spray assembly is moved to the required
vertical position to be spaced slightly upwardly from the top surface of the
vehicle.
The control unit thus controls the vertical movement of the
horizontal spray assembly in accordance with the previously defined matrix
so that the horizontal spray assembly is maintained at the required spaced
position from the top surface of the vehicle to effect an efficient washing of
the top surface.
At the same time, the hubs 31 are supplied with the detergent
and are driven to effect washing of the sides of the vehicle.
On completion of the washing of the full periphery of the vehicle
including the rear surface by following the pattern as set out in the matrix,
the control unit actuates a further cycle of the system to effect rinsing of
the
r, ,
'4n
24
surfaces using the high pressure pump while the detergent supply is
deactivated.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as
herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments
of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing
from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the
accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not
in
a limiting sense.
