Patent Application
20100206341
The present invention relates to automatic vehicle wash systems, and, more particularly, to automated vehicle wash equipment.
Most conventional car wash systems are housed in a building having an entrance and an exit. Between the entrance and exit is a wash tunnel in which a car or vehicle is washed by wash equipment. The equipment typically includes a conveyor that moves the car relative to other washing equipment at a rate for the car washing equipment to apply chemicals and water to the car. The water and chemicals usually originate and are pumped from a back room, also referred to as a “mechanical room.” The mechanical room houses basic controls for operating the equipment, such as hydraulic and power supply controls for controlling movement of the car wash equipment in the car wash tunnel, water controls for varying water pressure delivered to the wash tunnel and other valves and gauges that an operator adjusts and views to control chemicals applied to a vehicle in the wash tunnel. Due to the sensitive nature of the controls, conventional mechanical rooms are physically separated and isolated from the car wash tunnel to prevent excessive moisture, chemicals and debris from contacting the control equipment in the mechanical room.
A significant challenge to operators of conventional automated car washes is minimizing waste of chemicals while ensuring that the controls are precisely set to adequately wash a customer's car. To set up and properly configure the car wash equipment, an operator guesses the appropriate settings at which water supply controls and chemical controls can be set to deliver a predetermined amount of chemical at a specified rate. For example, to set up car wash equipment that applies a sealant to the car, the operator, who is located in the mechanical room where the controls are located, first selects an initial pressure for the water being delivered to the nozzles of the equipment, as well as a first flow rate for the sealant. The initial selection usually is a “best guess.” After the operator sets the controls, the operator exits the door of the mechanical room, and walks within view of the car wash tunnel to visually inspect a car to which sealant is applied under the first flow rate. Usually, the setting is close, but not perfect—that is, either too much or too little sealant is being applied to the car. Thus, the operator goes back into the mechanical room, resets the control to a second setting, exits the mechanical room, and revisits the car wash tunnel to re-inspect the application under the second setting. This process is iterative, and typically requires multiple trips from the mechanical room to the car wash tunnel before the setting is satisfactory.
Such a process consumes employee time and can waste a significant amount of chemicals and/or water in the process of setting the relevant controls. Moreover, this process is usually repeated whenever the supply sources of bulk chemicals change, as well as when the temperature in the car wash changes from season to season.
The present invention provides an automated vehicle wash system including vehicle wash equipment, a mechanical room and a control module positioned outside the mechanical room and adjacent the vehicle wash equipment so that an operator of the control module can directly view the wash equipment as the operator adjusts controls to regulate materials delivered to the wash equipment.
In one embodiment, the control module can be a control pod positioned adjacent the wash equipment including one or more controls that can be adjusted by an operator as a vehicle is being washed by the wash equipment so that the vehicle is satisfactorily treated with water and/or chemicals. Optionally, the first pod can include a valve that regulates the amount of chemicals applied to an applicator in a wash tunnel through which the vehicle travels on a path. The valve can regulate the amount of chemical delivered from a chemical storage tank in the pod and/or the mechanical room to the applicator. Accordingly, the amount and rate at which the chemical applied to the vehicle can be directly and precisely controlled by the operator.
In another embodiment, the automated vehicle wash system can include a chaseway. The chaseway can provide water, hydraulic fluid, power and/or chemicals to the various vehicle wash equipment. One or more pods can be positioned along the chaseway and can include various controls that regulate the water, hydraulic fluid, power and/or chemicals communicated to the vehicle wash equipment. As one example, a pod can include a control that controls water pumps that pump, e.g., communicate water to the vehicle wash equipment. The control can be a simple valve regulating the amount of water, or a flow setting on a water pump. As another example, a pod can include a hydraulic valve bank that controls hydraulically operated components of the vehicle wash equipment, such as arms that move rotating brushes toward and away from a vehicle.
In yet another embodiment, the vehicle wash system can include a building in which the wash equipment is positioned. The building can an interior and an exterior, as well as a first wall and a second wall aligned on opposite sides of the path along which a vehicle moves while it is being washed or treated. The first and second walls can include windows so that the building has an open and airy feel. With such construction, a viewer of the building can view completely through the building while watching a vehicle being washed therein.
In yet a further embodiment, multiple pods controlling multiple materials delivered to the wash equipment and multiple aspects of the wash equipment can be provided. For example, a first pod can control the amount of chemical delivered to chemical applicator along a wash tunnel in which wash equipment is located. A second pod can regulate the amount of water pumped to applicators in the wash tunnel, as well as regulate the amount of the pressure of water administered to feed chemicals to one or more chemical applicators, e.g., arches that extend over the tunnel to spray chemicals and/or water onto a vehicle. A third pod can include a conventional hydraulic control bank that regulates the amount of hydraulic fluid, and thus movement, of rotating brushes or other moving parts of the wash equipment. Additional pods can control other aspects of the vehicle wash equipment and application of different materials to the vehicle as it travels along the path, through the wash tunnel.
The present invention provides a simple and efficient automated vehicle wash system that is easily adjusted by an operator. With a pod including controls for vehicle wash systems in plain view of the washing equipment, a user can quickly and precisely adjust the control to regulate water and/or chemicals applied by the wash equipment. Where a pod includes hydraulic, power or other controls for the vehicle wash equipment, the operator can also quickly adjust those controls while in view of the equipment in an efficient manner. This can save considerable time and resources, as well as eliminate excessive waste of material.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the invention and the drawings.
An automated vehicle wash system according to the present invention is illustrated in
The building can also house pods 90 which are mounted exteriorly, or generally outside, the mechanical room 70 and adjacent the wash tunnel 40. Each pod can include controls which an operator can adjust to modify the operation of the wash equipment 50 of the wash tunnel 40. For example, a chemical applicator control pod 91 can be positioned so that an operator 110 of the pod has a generally unobstructed view of the applicator 52 and the vehicle 100. In this configuration, the operator can watch equipment and materials being applied or dispensed by the various washing equipment 50, and simultaneously can adjust that equipment and/or the rate, frequency or other feature of the application of the chemicals 120 and/or water 122.
With reference to
Generally, the building 20 includes a interior 22 and an exterior 24. The interior 22 is the inside of the building, while the exterior is the environment surrounding the building. Although depicted as an elongate rectangular building, the building can come in a variety of shapes and configurations. In general, the building can include any type of structure or enclosure that houses all or a portion of the wash tunnel 40.
Referring to
The windows 27 can be aligned along substantial portions of the building 20 on opposing sides so that a viewer 111, when standing on one side of the building, can see completely through the building 20 from that side of the building to an opposite side of the building and beyond (
The building 20 can include interior and exterior facade which may be constructed of brick, wood, metal and/or composites. Generally, the building can include a roof which is positioned over the path 30 and other components of the building. The building 20 also can include a separate office 29 which can house or provide work stations for personnel that operate, manage or otherwise work in the building 20 in connection with the automated vehicle wash system 10. As illustrated, the office 29 is separate from the mechanical room 70, with the two usually being on opposite ends of the building. If desired, the office and the mechanical room can be combined.
As shown in
As illustrated in
This equipment 50 of the wash tunnel 40 can also be referred to as wash devices. The wash devices 50 can utilize water and/or chemicals, applying them to a vehicle as it passes thereby in a conventional manner. These wash devices can be articulating, that is, they move relative to the vehicle as the vehicle approaches or passes by the wash devices. To effect movement, the wash devices can be electrically powered and/or powered by hydraulic or pneumatic structures which are conventional. For example, the rotating brush 57 can include an arm 58 which is hydraulically operated and moves the brush toward and away from the vehicle as it passes 100 along the path 30 in a conventional manner.
Adjacent or near the wash tunnel 40, the building can define a trench 21, covered with a metal grate, and adapted to collect liquids or other materials that are created during the wash process. This trench can be in communication with conventional sludge pit 5, aeration pit 5, and a clean water pit 5 (not shown) as desired. These pits can be in communication with a recycling pump (not shown) to recycle the liquids for multiple uses.
The car wash tunnel can also include a conveyor 60. The conveyor 60 can engage and move the vehicle 100 along the path 30 so that the various applicators 52 can apply materials such as chemicals 120 and/or water 122 to the vehicle 100 as the vehicle moves along the path, or more generally, so that the various wash devices 50 can engage and wash the vehicle 100. Although not shown, the conveyor can include conventional features such as correlater guide rails and a roller correlater (not shown) that move the vehicle along the path in an orderly, straight manner at the appropriate rate. One suitable conveyor is the E-C2028 Steel Conveyor, which is available from Tommy Car Wash Systems.
As illustrated in
The mechanical room can include multiple walls 78 and 79 and a door 81. The door 81 is usually closed while the wash tunnel 40 is in operation to prevent chemicals, moisture, water or other materials within the wash tunnel from substantially contacting the equipment 73-77 housed within the mechanical room 70. In some cases, these chemicals can be harsh and can impair the functionality and/or performance of the equipment. While it is the goal to prevent all moisture, water or chemicals from contacting the equipment, it is virtually impossible to do so, as sometimes the door 81 may be left open so that these materials drift into the mechanical room 70.
As shown in
In general, where the pod includes chemical storage tanks 93, those storage tanks can store a predetermined volume of chemicals. For example, 10, 20, 50 to 100 gallons of chemicals such as soap, rinse material, presoak material, tire gloss, undercarriage wash materials and the like can be stored in each tank 93. The pod can also include a conventional pumping system 95 that draws the chemical from the storage tank 93 to a temporary storage container 125 through or past a control 92, such as a valve, which can be electronic or manual. The control 92 is generally in communication with a conduit 96 that leads from the first pod 91 to the applicator 52. By adjusting the control 92 and monitoring the pressure gauge 97, an operator can select a desired pressure and/or volume for transfer of the chemical to the applicator 52. Optionally, the pod can be outfitted with a touch screen or other known electronic modules to control delivery of the chemical or other materials to the various wash devices 50 from the pod 91. One type of control 92 suitable for use is the E-SE-C2028 Remote mount touch screen control, which is available from Tommy Car Wash Systems.
A variety of different pods can be included in the automated vehicle wash system. As another example, a second pod 99 can be outfitted with additional pumps, for example, 15 horsepower, 20 gallon per minute pumps to provide additional pumping capacity to pump water to the wash devices 50. These pumps are generally conventional and will not be described here. This pod can be utilized to provide high pressure washing through various arches in the wash tunnel 40 as desired. This pod may also include its own controls (such as valves and pump output controls) that enable an operator to adjust the output of water through this pod to the wash devices 50. Another pod 98 can house a hydraulic control bank which generally controls the actuation and movement of various wash devices 50, e.g., the movement of rotating brushes toward and away from a vehicle 100, along the wash tunnel. This hydraulic power unit and the bank itself is generally conventional and will not be described here.
Because the pods are mounted outside the mechanical room 70 and adjacent the wash tunnel 40, an operator can control each of the pods while the operator 110 has a generally unobstructed view of the car wash devices he is controlling on the car wash tunnel. By generally unobstructed view, it is meant that the operator can view application of the chemical and/or water or movement of a particular car wash device in an unimpaired manner with their own human vision. It will be appreciated that a slight portion of the view of materials being applied may be obstructed by a portion of a wash device, but generally, the operator can see the effect of the adjustment that he is making in the tunnel 40 by manipulating controls 92 on the pod 91.
With
Referring to
As noted above, the function of the various wash devices of the wash tunnel is generally conventional and will not be explained in detail here. Suffice it to say that the various arches apply combinations of water and chemical in predetermined amounts and rates to adequately wash a vehicle 100 passing thereby. Where included, the brushes operate in a conventional manner moving toward and away from the vehicle at appropriate timed intervals guided by a control system to adequately scrub the vehicle.
The control of the various wash devices, however, is unconventional and is effected by an operator while that operator is in view of the wash devices and/or the vehicle 100 along the path 30. For example, an operator 110 stands adjacent a pod, such as, pod 91, to make an adjustment. The operator may desire to alter the amount of chemical being applied as a sealant to the vehicle 100. Accordingly, the operator 110 manipulates the controls 92 of the pod 91, while reviewing the output gauges 95 as well as viewing the applicable applicator arch 52. As the operator makes the adjustment, he can view the applicator directly with his own vision to see how the amount of sealant changes and whether any adverse effects, such as excessive foaming, etc. occurs. Based on his knowledge of the operation of the system, the operator 110 can quickly complete adjustment of the controls 92 so that the appropriate amount of chemicals 120 is drawn through from the storage tanks 93 and transferred via the conduit 96 to the applicator arch. Because the pod is exterior to the mechanical room 70 and adjacent the tunnel, the operator can make all adjustment s while simply standing at a the pod—rather than revisiting the mechanical room and wash tunnel multiple times until the desired effect is achieved.
The above descriptions are those of the preferred embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any references to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
