Patent Document

FIELD 
   The present teachings relate to dryer assemblies and more particularly to an improved dryer assembly for a car wash. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Dryer assemblies are conventionally used in car wash applications to impart a fluid force on an exterior of a vehicle once the vehicle has been fully washed and rinsed. The applied fluid force attempts to remove cleaning solution and moisture from the exterior of the vehicle prior to the vehicle exiting the car wash. 
   Conventional dryer assemblies usually include a funnel and a blower motor disposed generally between an inlet and an outlet of the dryer assembly. The funnel receives air generally at the inlet and directs the air to the blower motor for compression. The blower motor compresses the air received from the funnel prior to expelling the compressed air at the outlet. The compressed air is directed generally toward a moving vehicle below to remove excess cleaning solution and/or water from the exterior of the vehicle prior to the vehicle exiting the car wash. 
   Blower motors of conventional dryer assemblies may be configured to be constantly driven such that the motor is always energized or, alternatively, may be configured to be selectively driven only when a vehicle requires drying. When a blower motor is configured to be constantly driven, energy is wasted in driving the blower motor between vehicles. For example, vehicles are typically spaced apart in a conventional car wash to allow moving components of the wash to adequately access each vehicle for proper washing and drying. Blower motors that are constantly energized waste energy in providing a fluid force between adjacent vehicles. Such wasted energy is further exaggerated when few vehicles are cycled through the car wash such that the space between vehicles is increased. 
   Blower motors that are configured to be selectively shut down between vehicles require a surge of energy and at least two to three seconds to initially ramp up to full speed. Therefore, while blower motors that are selectively shut down between vehicles may realize a slight energy savings in not running between vehicles, some energy is wasted in continually ramping up and shutting down the blower motor. Furthermore, such configurations also decrease performance as the blower motor may not be up to full speed when the vehicle initially encounters the dryer assembly. 
   Therefore, a dryer assembly for a car wash that is capable of selectively restricting power consumption between vehicles while not sacrificing performance is desirable in the industry. 
   SUMMARY 
   A dryer assembly includes a blower unit having an inlet and an outlet. A restriction mechanism having a plurality of louvers is disposed generally at the inlet of the blower unit with the louvers being moveable between an open position and a closed position. An actuation mechanism is in communication with the restriction mechanism. The actuation mechanism selectively restricts air to the blower unit by moving the louvers into the closed position. 
   Further areas of applicability of the present teachings will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the teachings, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the teachings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present teachings will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dryer assembly in accordance with the present teachings with a series of louvers in an open position; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the dryer assembly of  FIG. 1  with the series of louvers in a closed position; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the dryer assembly of  FIG. 1  incorporated into a car wash; and 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the dryer assembly of  FIG. 1  incorporated into a car wash showing an actuation mechanism in communication with a restriction mechanism. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the teachings, application, or uses. 
   With reference to the figures, a dryer assembly  10  is provided and includes a housing  12 , a blower assembly  14 , a restriction assembly  16 , and an actuation assembly  18 . The blower assembly  14  cooperates with the housing  12  to compress air received at an inlet  20  of the housing  12 . The compressed air is expelled generally at an outlet  22  of the housing  12  to selectively provide a drying effect. The restriction assembly  16  and actuation assembly  18  are operably supported by the housing  12  and cooperate to selectively restrict air from reaching the blower assembly  14  when a drying effect is not required. Selectively preventing air from reaching the blower assembly  14  during periods when a drying effect is not required saves energy associated with operation of the blower assembly  14  and increases the efficiency of the dryer assembly  10 . 
   The inlet and outlet  22  of the housing  12  are generally separated by a main body  24  having an arcuate portion  26 . Arcuate portion  26  cooperates with the blower assembly  14  to compress air received at the inlet  20  and to direct the compressed air towards the outlet  22 . 
   The blower assembly  14  is operably supported by the housing  12  and generally includes a blower motor  28 , a funnel  30 , and an impeller  32 . The impeller  32  is disposed within the arcuate portion  26  of the housing  12 , generally between the blower motor  28  and the funnel  30 . In this manner, air received at the inlet  20  by funnel  30  is generally directed towards the impeller  32 . The blower motor  28  includes an output shaft (not shown) that is fixably attached to the impeller  32  such that when the blower motor  28  is energized, the output shaft rotates the impeller  32  relative to the housing  12 . When the motor  28  is energized, the impeller  32  draws an air stream generally from the inlet  20  along the funnel  30 . Once the air reaches the rotating impeller  32 , the air is compressed through interaction between the arcuate portion  26  of the housing  12  and the rotating impeller  32 . 
   The restriction assembly  16  is operably supported near the inlet  20  of the housing  12  and includes a series of louvers  34 , a link  36 , and a pair of stops  38 . Each of the louvers  34  is rotatably supported by the housing  12  between an open position and a closed position by a pin  40 . The pins  40  are attached to respective louvers  34  generally at a midpoint of each louver  34  and are fixedly attached to an arm  42 . The arm  42  extends generally from each pin  40  for pivotable attachment to the link  36  such that as the link  36  translates relative to the housing  12 , the arms  42  rotate each of the pins  40 . 
   Rotation of the pins  40  relative to the housing  12 , causes concurrent rotation of each of the louvers  34 . In this manner, movement of the link  36  relative to the housing  12  generally dictates the position of the louvers  34 . When the link  36  is in a first position, the louvers  34  are in a fully-open position ( FIG. 1 ). When the link  36  is translated from the first position to a second position, the louvers  34  are rotated from the fully-open position to a fully-closed position ( FIG. 2 ). 
   The fully-open position is achieved when one of the louvers  34  engages the stops  38 . The stops  38  are attached to an inner surface of the housing  12  generally at the inlet  20 . Each stop  38  is positioned at an angle relative to the inlet  20  such that when one of the louvers  34  engages the stops  38 , the louvers  34  are prevented from rotating to a position substantially perpendicular to the inlet  20 . If the louvers  34  were permitted to rotate into a position generally perpendicular to the inlet  20 , the louvers  34  may be over rotated. If the louvers  34  are over rotated, the louvers  34  may jam such that the link  36  cannot return the louvers  34  to the closed position. Therefore, the stops  38  ensure that the louvers  34 , when in the fully-open position, are at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the inlet  20  to prevent the louvers  34  from jamming. 
   For example, the stops  38  may be positioned such that upon engagement with one of the louvers  34  (i.e., when the louvers  34  are in the fully-open position), each of the louvers  34  are positioned between 65 and seventy degrees relative to the inlet  20 . While only one of the louvers  34  engage the stops  38 , each of the louvers  34  is similarly prevented from further rotation as each louver  34  is essentially tied to the rotation of the other louvers  34  via link  36 . It should be understood that while a single link  36  is disclosed that another link  36  may be positioned on an opposite side of the housing  12  to additionally control operation of the louvers  34  between the open and closed positions. Furthermore, it should be understood that while a single pair of stops  38  is disclosed, that a plurality of stops may be positioned near the inlet  20  for engagement with more than one of the louvers  34 . 
   When the louvers  34  in the fully-open position, a 15 horsepower blower motor  28  draws approximately 19.5 Amps at 480 volts. When the louvers  34  are moved into the fully-closed position, air is restricted from reaching the impeller  32  and resistance associated with rotating the impeller  32  is reduced. The reduction in resistance allows the blower motor  28  to consume less energy in rotating the impeller  32 . For the above-described  15  horsepower blower motor  28 , the resultant energy savings realized by closing the louvers  34  is roughly ten Amps. In other words, the 15 horsepower blower motor  28  only draws roughly 9.5 Amps when the louvers  34  are in the fully-closed position. Therefore, the dryer assembly  10  saves energy by closing the louvers  34  when a drying effect is not required. 
   Articulation of the link  36  relative to the housing  12  is generally accomplished by the actuation assembly  18 . Therefore, the actuation assembly  18 , via link  36 , selectively positions the louvers  34  in either the fully-open position or the fully-closed position. The actuation assembly  18  may also position the louvers  34  in a plurality of partially-open positions generally between the fully-open position and the fully-closed position. When the louvers  34  are in a partially-open position, air is only partially restricted from reaching the impeller  32 . Therefore, the dryer assembly  10  is only able to produce a partially-compressed air stream at outlet  22 . The resultant partially-compressed air stream reduces the drying ability of the dryer assembly  10  but saves some energy by not requiring the blower motor  28  to produce a fully-compressed air stream. 
   The actuation assembly  18  is operably supported by the housing  12  and includes a piston/cylinder arrangement  44  having a cylinder  46  and an output shaft  48 . The output shaft  48  translates relative to the cylinder  46  between a retracted position and an extended position. The output shaft is rotatably attached generally to the link  36  such that movement of the shaft  48  relative to the cylinder  46  causes the link  36  to concurrently translate relative to the housing  12 . Therefore, when the output shaft  48  is articulated between the extended position and the retracted position, the louvers  34  are concurrently rotated between the open position and the closed position. 
   The piston/cylinder arrangement  44  may be designed such that the overall stroke of the output shaft  48  (i.e., distance the output shaft  48  moves relative to the cylinder  46  from the retracted position to the extended position) controls the position of the louvers  34  relative to the housing  12 . For example, when the output shaft  48  is in the fully retracted position, the louvers  34  are in the closed state and when the louvers  34  are in the fully extended position, the louvers  34  are in the fully open state. Such a configuration obviates the need for stops  38  as movement of the louvers  34  into the open position is limited to the stroke of the output shaft  48 . It should be understood, that the piston/cylinder arrangement  44  may be any suitable linear actuator such as a pneumatic cylinder, solenoid, or screw, but is not limited as such. Furthermore, it should be understood that while a single piston/cylinder arrangement  44  is disclosed that a second piston/cylinder arrangement  44  may also be used to control operation of another link  36  (i.e., if the dryer assembly  10  includes a pair of links  36 ). 
   With particular reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the dryer assembly  10  is shown incorporated into a car wash system  50 . The car wash system  50  generally includes a drive unit  52 , a position sensor  54 , and a processing unit  56 . The drive unit  52  selectively engages a series of vehicles  58  to move the vehicles  58  through the car wash system  50 . The drive unit  52  positions each vehicle  58  at spaced intervals (represented by “X” in  FIG. 4 ) to allow components associated with the car wash system  50  sufficient room to clean, wash, and dry each vehicle  58 . 
   In operation, the drive unit  52  engages a vehicle  58  to pull the vehicle  58  through the car wash system  50 . The vehicle  58  first encounters a wash cycle and a rinse cycle prior to reaching the dryer assembly  10 . As can be appreciated, upon leaving the rinse cycle the vehicle  58  may have cleaning solution and water on an exterior surface thereof. The dryer assembly  10  imparts a fluid force on the exterior surface of the vehicle  58  to remove the excess cleaning solution and water prior to the vehicle  58  exiting the car wash system  50 . 
   As the vehicle  58  leaves the rinse cycle, the position sensor  54  detects the approaching vehicle  58  before the vehicle  58  reaches the dryer assembly  10 . When the sensor  54  detects the presence of the vehicle  58 , a signal is sent to the processing unit  56  to alert the processing unit  56  that a vehicle  58  is approaching the dryer assembly  10 . When the processing unit  56  receives the signal from the position sensor  54 , the processing unit  56  energizes the blower motor  28  to allow the dryer assembly  10  to impart a fluid force on the exterior surface of vehicle  58 . 
   The dryer assembly  10  is only permitted to impart a fluid force on the vehicle  58  when the louvers  34  are in the open position. If the louvers  34  remain the closed position when the motor  28  is energized, air is not permitted to be drawn into the housing  12  at the inlet  20 . Under such conditions, the motor  28  is permitted to rotate the impeller  32  relative to the housing  12 , but air is not drawn at the inlet  20  and therefore the impeller  32  is restricted from providing a compressed fluid stream at the outlet  22 . Therefore, when the position sensor  54  detects the presence of an oncoming vehicle  58 , the processing unit  56  also energizes the piston/cylinder arrangement  44  to translate the link  36  relative to the housing  12  and move the louvers  34  into the open position. It should be noted that the louvers  34  are not moved into the open position until the blower motor  28  reaches full speed to allow the motor  28  to ramp up when resistance is minimized. In so doing, energy associated with rotating the impeller  32  relative to the housing  12  is reduced and the efficiency of the dryer assembly  10  is improved. 
   Once the louvers  34  are in the open position, the blower motor  28  is permitted to draw air at the inlet  20  of the housing  12  and provide a compressed fluid stream at the outlet  22 . The compressed fluid stream at the outlet  22  is imparted on an exterior surface of the vehicle  58  in an effort to remove any excess cleaning solution and water remaining on the exterior of the vehicle  58  after the rinse cycle. 
   The fluid force is continually applied to the vehicle  58  until the position sensor  54  detects an end of the vehicle  58 . Once the position sensor  54  detects that the vehicle  58  has sufficiently passed the dryer assembly  10 , the position sensor  54  sends a signal to the processing unit  56  that the vehicle  58  has been dried and has passed the dryer assembly  10 . At this point, the processing unit  56  de-energizes the blower motor  28  and instructs the piston/cylinder arrangement  44  to retract the output shaft  48  and translate the link  36  relative to the housing  12 . Translation of the link  36  relative to the housing  12  causes rotation of the louvers  34  from the open position ( FIG. 1 ) to the closed position ( FIG. 2 ). 
   In addition to the automatic control discussed above, it should be understood that an operator of the car wash system  50  may selectively override the processing unit  56  under certain conditions. For example, when a truck having a truck cab and truck box (neither shown) is pulled through the system  50 , the operator may override the processing unit  56  when the truck box is below the outlet  22  of the dryer assembly  10 . In so doing, the operator is able to prevent water and/or cleaning solution disposed within the truck box from spraying on the exterior of the truck. 
   Closing the louvers  34  once the vehicle  58  has passed the dryer assembly  10  reduces wear on the blower motor  28  and maintains impeller speed when the motor  28  is de-energized. When the louvers  34  are in the fully-closed position, air is restricted from reaching the impeller  32 , as previously discussed. Therefore, when the motor  28  is de-energized, and the louvers  34  are in the fully-closed position, resistance on the motor  28  is minimized and wear on internal components associated with de-energizing the motor  28  is reduced. The reduction in resistance provides a further benefit in that the impeller  32  is essentially permitted to freely rotate once the motor  28  is de-energized. The free rotation of the impeller  32  allows the impeller  32  to maintain a rotational speed for a longer time period following de-energization of the blower motor  28 . In this manner, when the blower motor  28  is energized once again (e.g., due to another on-coming vehicle  58 ), less energy is required to ramp the motor  28  up to full speed. 
   The louvers  34  remain in the closed position until the position sensor  54  detects the presence of an approaching vehicle  58 . When the position sensor  54  detects an approaching vehicle  58 , the positions sensor  54  relays the information the processing unit  56 . Once the processing unit  56  receives the information from the position sensor  54  that a vehicle  58  is approaching the dryer assembly  10 , the processing unit  56  energizes the blower motor  28 . The louvers  34  remain in the fully-closed position until the blower motor  28  achieves full speed to reduce the resistive force applied to the impeller  32  associated with drawing air at the inlet  20 . In so doing, the processing unit  56 , in conjunction with the louvers  34 , is able to save energy associated with ramping up the blower motor  28  between vehicles  58 . 
   The processing unit  56  instructs the piston/cylinder arrangement  44  to once again extend the output shaft  48  and translate the link  36  relative to the housing  12  once the blower motor  28  is fully energized and the impeller  32  reaches full speed. As previously discussed, translation of the link  36  relative to the housing  12  causes concurrent rotation of the louvers  34 . Sufficient rotation of the louvers  34  relative to the housing  12  causes the louvers  34  to move from the closed position ( FIG. 2 ) to the open position ( FIG. 1 ). 
   Once the louvers  34  are returned to the open position, the blower motor  28  is once again able to draw air at the inlet  20  of the housing  12 . The influx of air at the inlet  20  causes a resistive force to be applied on the impeller  32 , thereby increasing the energy required to continually drive the blower motor  28 . 
   With the louvers  34  in the open position, and the blower motor  28  energized, the dryer assembly  10  is once again able to impart a fluid force on the exterior surface of the vehicle  58 . The louvers  34  remain in the open position until the position sensor  54  once again detects that the vehicle  58  has sufficiently passed the dryer assembly  10 . At this point, the position sensor  54  relays information to the processing unit  56  that the vehicle  58  has sufficiently passed the dryer assembly  10 . The processing unit  56  instructs the piston/cylinder arrangement  44  to once again retract the output shaft  48  to translate the link  36  relative to the housing  12  and move the louvers  34  into the closed position. In addition, the processing unit  56  also de-energizes the blower motor  28  once the louvers  34  achieve the fully-closed position. 
   As described, the dryer assembly  10 , in conjunction with the car wash system  50 , is able to selectively open and close the louvers  34  to selectively restrict air to the blower motor  28 . By restricting air to the blower motor  28  when a fluid force is not required at the outlet  22  (i.e., when a vehicle  58  is generally below the dryer assembly  10 ), the dryer assembly  10  is able to save energy associated with driving the blower motor  28  and, as a result, improve the efficiency of the car wash system  50 . 
   The description of the teachings is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the teachings are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.

Technology Category: 7