Wheel cleaning device

Abstract

To provide a wheel cleaning device which is capable of cleaning a bottom face and a lateral face of a wheel with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A wheel cleaning device is composed by connecting rails 4, 6 which include a pair of brushes 12, 14 which are disposed along lateral walls 42, 44 and lateral walls 62, 64 and a mat 16 with brush which is laid on travel surfaces 40, 60 so as to make it possible to change mutual distance by link arms 8, 10. Thereby, the device can clean rolling motion faces and lateral faces of wheels 92, 92, 92, 92 of a suitcase 90 with wheels and the like simultaneously. In addition, since the rails 4, 6 can change mutual distance, the device can correspond to cleaning of various pairs of wheels with different distances therebetween. In addition, since the distance between rails 4 and 6 can be changed, it is possible to restrain the device from enlarging in a direction of the distance between wheels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel cleaning device for cleaning a pair of left and right wheels.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-65072 (Patent Document 1) discloses a wheel cleaning device including a housing, a pair of rotary brushes rotatably supported by the housing such that their rotation axes are coaxial, a pair of electric rollers disposed to face each rotary brush and rotatably supported by the housing, and a chain wound around the rotary brushes and the electric rollers. With a caster supported between the rotary brush and the electric roller, the electric roller is rotated to rotate the rotary brush in the same direction as the electric roller to clean the caster.

[0003] Since each of the rotary brush and the electric roller of the wheel cleaning device extends parallel to the axial direction of the rotation axis of the caster, it can cope with cleaning of various pairs of casters having different caster pitches (distance between a pair of casters).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the wheel cleaning device described in the above-mentioned publication needs to rotate the rotary brush and also needs to cope with cleaning of various pairs of casters having different caster pitches (distance between a pair of casters). Therefore, not only is the structure complicated, but the device also becomes large in the caster pitch direction.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and one of its objects is to provide a wheel cleaning device that can clean various pairs of casters with different caster pitches (the distance between a pair of casters) while having a simple structure and suppressing the enlargement of the device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The wheel cleaning device of the present invention has adopted the following means in order to achieve the above object.

[0008] According to a preferred form of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, a wheel cleaning device for cleaning a pair of left and right wheels is configured. The wheel cleaning device includes first and second rail portions, a first cleaning member, and a connecting portion. The first and second rail portions have a running surface on which a pair of left and right wheels can run, and a pair of side walls erected at both ends of the running surface in the extending direction of the running surface. The first cleaning member is disposed along each of the pair of side walls of the first and second rail portions. And the connecting portion connects the first and second rail portions so that the distance between the first and second rail portions can be changed freely. Here, the second cleaning member in the present invention typically corresponds to a brush. For example, a coil brush can be adopted for the first cleaning member.

[0009] According to the present invention, since the first and second rail portions extend along the traveling direction of the wheels and the first and second rail portions can change the distance between each other by a connecting member, it is possible to cope with the cleaning of various pairs of wheels with different wheel distances. In addition, since the distance between the first and second rail portions can be changed, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the device in the wheel distance direction. Of course, the side surface of the wheel can be cleaned by the first cleaning member.

[0010] According to a further form of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, it further includes a second cleaning member laid on the running surface.

[0011] According to this embodiment, at least the rolling surface of the wheel can be cleaned by the second cleaning member.

[0012] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, the connecting portion has a longitudinal direction and has a first end portion and a second end portion in the longitudinal direction. Further, the connecting portion has a first end portion swingably connected to the first rail portion and a second end portion swingably connected to the second rail portion.

[0013] According to this embodiment, the distance between the first and second rail portions can be changed with a simple configuration.

[0014] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, the connecting portion has a longitudinal direction and has a first end portion and a second end portion in the longitudinal direction. The first end portion has a long hole along the longitudinal direction. One of the first and second rail portions is movably engaged with the first end portion along the long hole, and the other of the first and second rail portions is fixed to the second end portion.

[0015] According to this embodiment, the distance between the first and second rail portions can be changed with a simple configuration.

[0016] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, the connecting portion has an inner rail and an outer rail slidably engaged with the inner rail. The inner rail is fixed to one of the first and second rail portions. And the outer rail is fixed to the other of the first and second rail portions.

[0017] According to this embodiment, the distance between the first and second rail portions can be changed with a simple configuration.

[0018] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, the connecting portion has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion arranged in parallel with the first connecting portion.

[0019] According to this embodiment, the distance between the first and second rail portions can be stably changed.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, at least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has a pair of inclined side walls having an inclination in a direction away from each other toward the tip at at least one of both ends in the extending direction of the pair of side walls.

[0021] According to this embodiment, the introduction and withdrawal of the wheel to and from the first rail portion or the second rail portion can be smoothly performed.

[0022] According to a further aspect of the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention, at least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has an inclined running surface having a downward inclination toward the tip at at least one of both ends in the extending direction of the running surface.

[0023] According to this embodiment, the introduction and withdrawal of the wheel to and from the first rail portion or the second rail portion can be smoothly performed.

Effects of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, a wheel cleaning device capable of cleaning the bottom surface and side surface of a wheel can be realized with a simple configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples.

Examples

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as a device for cleaning wheels (casters) 92 of a wheeled suitcase (also referred to as a wheeled carry case or a wheeled carry bag) 90 (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the wheel cleaning device 1 includes a pair of rails 4 and 6, a pair of link arms 8 and 10 connecting the rails 4 and 6, a pair of brushes 12 and 14 disposed on the respective rails 4 and 6, and brush mats 16 disposed on the respective rails 4 and 6.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the rails 4 and 6 have running surfaces 40 and 60, and a pair of side walls 42, 44, 62, and 64 vertically provided integrally with the running surfaces 40 and 60. In other words, it can be said that the cross section of the rails 4 and 6 cut by a plane orthogonal to the extending direction has a substantially U shape. The rails 4 and 6 are examples of implementation configurations corresponding to the "first rail portion" and the "second rail portion" in the present invention, respectively.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, the running surfaces 40 and 60 have through holes 41a, 41b, 61a, and 61b. The through hole 41a is disposed at a position closer to one end in the extending direction of the running surface 40, and the through hole 41b is disposed at a position closer to the center in the extending direction than the other end in the extending direction of the running surface 40. Further, the through hole 61a is disposed at a position closer to the other end in the extending direction of the running surface 60, and the through hole 61b is disposed at a position closer to the center in the extending direction than one end in the extending direction of the running surface 60. More specifically, the through holes 41a, 41b, 61a, and 61b are arranged in a positional relationship such that a virtual straight line connecting the center of the through hole 41a and the center of the through hole 61a and a virtual straight line connecting the center of the through hole 41b and the center of the through hole 61b are orthogonal to the extending direction of the rails 4 and 6.

[0030] Furthermore, the running surfaces 40, 60 have inclined running surfaces 40a, 40b, 60a, 60b. The inclined running surfaces 40a, 40b, 60a, 60b are respectively arranged at the ends of the running surfaces 40, 60 (rails 4, 6) in the extending direction. Also, the inclined running surfaces 40a, 40b, 60a, 60b have a downward inclination towards their tips. The side walls 42, 44, 62, 64 are vertically provided at both ends of the running surfaces 40, 60 in the extending direction of the running surfaces 40, 60.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the side walls 42, 44, 62, 64 have inclined side walls 42a, 42b, 44a, 44b, 62a, 62b, 64a, 64b. The inclined side walls 42a, 42b, 44a, 44b, 62a, 62b, 64a, 64b are arranged at both ends of the side walls 42, 44, 62, 64 (rails 4, 6) in the extending direction. Also, the inclined side wall 42a and the inclined side wall 44a, the inclined side wall 42b and the inclined side wall 44b, the inclined side wall 62a and the inclined side wall 64a, and the inclined side wall 62b and the inclined side wall 64b each have an inclination in a direction of separating from each other towards their tips.

[0032] The link arms 8, 10 basically have the same configuration, and as shown in FIG. 6, the shape when viewed from one side in the longitudinal direction has a substantially inverted U shape. Also, the link arms 8, 10 have through holes 8a, 8b, 10a, 10b. The through holes 8a, 10a and the through holes 8b, 10b are arranged at positions separated from each other at the longitudinal ends of the link arms 8, 10. The through holes 8a, 8b, 10a, 10b have substantially the same inner diameter as the through holes 41a, 41b, 61a, 61b. The link arm 8 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "connecting portion" and the "first connecting portion" in the present invention, and the link arm 10 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "connecting portion" and the "second connecting portion" in the present invention.

[0033] The link arms 8 and 10 configured in this way are swingably assembled to the rails 4 and 6 by means of the colored bolts BLT as shown in FIG. 7. Specifically, first, with the through-hole 8a aligned with the through-hole 61a, the through-hole 8b aligned with the through-hole 41a, the through-hole 10a aligned with the through-hole 61b, and the through-hole 10b aligned with the through-hole 41b, the colored bolts BLT are inserted from the sides of the through-holes 41a, 41b, 61a, and 61b. Next, by threadedly engaging the nut N with the colored bolt BLT, the link arms 8 and 10 are swingably assembled to the rails 4 and 6. In other words, it can be said that the wheel cleaning device 1 has a pantograph structure. Here, when the rails 4 and 6 are in the state of being farthest apart from each other, the rails 4 and 6 and the link arms 8 and 10 are in a perpendicular relationship with each other. The colored portion Cp of the colored bolt BLT has an axial length slightly larger than the sum of the plate thicknesses of the running surfaces 40 and 60 and the plate thickness of the link arms 8 and 10, and has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameters of the through-holes 8a, 8b, 10a, 10b, 41a, 41b, 61a, and 61b.

[0034] In the present embodiment, the brushes 12 and 14 are configured to use a twisted brush in which two to four wires are twisted and bristles are implanted therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the brushes 12 and 14 have a length substantially equal to the length in the extending direction of the side walls 42, 44, 62, and 64 excluding the inclined side walls 42a, 42b, 44a, 44b, 62a, 62b, 64a, and 64b. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the brushes 12 and 14 have a diameter larger than the height of the side walls 42, 44, 62, and 64. It is desirable that the brushes 12 and 14 have a radius larger than the height of the side walls 42, 44, 62, and 64. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the brushes 12 and 14 are arranged in such a relationship that the distance (minimum distance) Dmin between the tips of the bristles of each other is smaller than the width W of the wheel (caster) 92. The brushes 12 and 14 are fixed to the side walls 42, 44, 62, and 64 by binding bands 80 at several locations spaced apart in the extending direction thereof (see FIGS. 3 and 8). The brushes 12 and 14 are an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "first cleaning member" in the present invention.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 16, the brush mat 16 has a configuration in which hair materials are implanted on a sheet material. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the brush mat 16 is laid over the entire length of the running surfaces 40, 60, that is, over the entire area from the inclined running surfaces 40a, 60a to 40b, 60b. The brush mat 16 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "second cleaning member" in the present invention.

[0036] Next, the operation of the wheel cleaning device 1 configured in this way, particularly the operation when cleaning the wheels (casters) 92 of the wheeled suitcase (also referred to as a wheeled carry case or wheeled carry bag) 90, will be described.

[0037] First, for example, the wheel cleaning device 1 is installed on the floor surface in a state as shown in Fig. 9. The wheeled suitcase 90 is operated so that the front left wheel 92 among the four wheels 92, 92, 92, 92 of the wheeled suitcase 90 travels on the inclined running surface 40b. Subsequently, as shown in Fig. 10, the link arms 8, 10 are swung with the colored bolts BLT, BLT on the rail 4 side as fulcrums so that the rail 6 aligns with the running line TL of the front right wheel 92. As a result, the left and right wheels 92, 92 of the wheeled suitcase 90 can travel on the rails 4, 6 (see Fig. 12). Here, since the rails 4, 6 have the inclined running surfaces 40a, 40b, 60a, 60b and the inclined side walls 42a, 42b, 44a, 44b, 62a, 62b, 64a, 64b, the introduction and derivation of the four wheels 92, 92, 92, 92 of the wheeled suitcase 90 to and from the running surfaces 40, 60 can be performed smoothly.

[0038] Then, by running the wheeled suitcase 90 in this state (see Fig. 11), the four wheels 92, 92, 92, 92 of the wheeled suitcase 90 are cleaned of their rolling surfaces and side surfaces by the brushes 12, 14 and the brush mat 16 as shown in Fig. 12.

[0039] Thus, according to this embodiment, with a simple configuration in which only one of the rails 4 and 6 swings with respect to the other rail 6 and 4, the distance between them can be changed, so that it is possible to cope with the cleaning of various wheels 92 and 92 with different distances between the wheels 92 and 92. Since the distance between the rails 4 and 6 can be changed, it is possible to suppress the increase in the size of the apparatus itself in the wheel distance direction. Further, since the rails 4 and 6 are connected by two link arms 8 and 10, the distance between the rails 4 and 6 can be stably changed.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 13, the distance between the rails 4 and 6 can be minimized by swinging the rails 4 and 6 until the side walls 44 and 62, or the inclined side walls 44a and 62a and the inclined side walls 44b and 62b contact each other. Thereby, the size at the time of storage can be made compact.

[0041] In this embodiment, the rails 4 and 6 are swingably connected by two link arms 8 and 10, but it is not limited to this. A configuration in which the rails 4 and 6 are swingably connected by three or more link arms or a configuration in which the rails 4 and 6 are swingably connected by one link arm may be used.

[0042] In this embodiment, the rails 4 and 6 are configured to have inclined running surfaces 40a, 40b, 60a, and 60b at both ends in the extending direction of the rails 4 and 6, but the rails 4 and 6 may be configured to have only one of the inclined running surfaces 40a, 60a or the inclined running surfaces 40b, 60b at one of the ends in the extending direction of the rails 4 and 6. In this case, it is desirable to introduce the wheels 92 and 92 from the side having the inclined running surfaces 40a, 60a or the inclined running surfaces 40b, 60b.

[0043] In this embodiment, the rails 4 and 6 are configured to have inclined side walls 42a, 42b, 44a, 44b, 62a, 62b, 64a, and 64b at both ends in the extending direction of the rails 4 and 6. However, the rails 4 and 6 may be configured to have inclined side walls 42a, 44a, 62a, 64a, 64b or inclined side walls 42b, 44b, 62b, 64b only at either one of the ends in the extending direction of the rails 4 and 6. In this case, it is desirable to introduce the wheels 92 and 92 from the side having the inclined side walls 42a, 44a, 62a, 64a, 64b or the inclined side walls 42b, 44b, 62b, 64b.

[0044] In this embodiment, the link arms 8 and 10 are used to connect the rails 4 and 6 swingably, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a slide rail may be used to connect the rails 4 and 6 swingably. In this case, either one of the inner rail constituting the slide rail and the outer rail slidably engaged with the inner rail may be fastened to the rail 4, and the other of the inner rail and the outer rail may be fastened to the rail 6. With this configuration, the same operational effects as those of the wheel cleaning device 1 according to the above-described embodiment can be achieved. Further, instead of the slide rail, the slide arms 108 and 110 shown in FIG. 14 may be used to connect the rails 4 and 6 swingably.

[0045] The slide arms 108 and 110 have the same configuration as the link arm 10, except that the through holes 8a and 10a are replaced with elongated holes 108a and 110a. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as the configuration of the link arms 8 and 10 in the slide arms 108 and 110, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The slide arm 108 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "connecting portion" and the "first connecting portion" in the present invention, and the slide arm 110 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "connecting portion" and the "second connecting portion" in the present invention.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the slide arms 108 and 110 have through holes 8b and 10b at one longitudinal end, and elongated holes 108a and 108b at the other longitudinal end. The elongated holes 108a and 108b extend along the longitudinal direction of the slide arms 108 and 110.

[0047] The slide arms 108 and 110 configured in this way, as shown in FIG. 14, while aligning the through hole 8b with the through hole 41a and the through hole 10b with the through hole 41b, insert a fastening member such as a bolt from the side of the through holes 41a and 41b, and thread-engage a nut with the bolt from the side of the through holes 8b and 10b, whereby one longitudinal end (the end on the side where the through holes 8b and 10b are arranged) of the slide arms 108 and 110 is fastened (fixed) to the rail 4. On the other hand, by engaging the slide guides 111a and 111b integrated with the rail 6 with the elongated holes 108a and 110a using a fastening member such as a bolt on the bottom surface of the rail 6 (the surface opposite to the running surface 60), the other longitudinal end (the end on the side where the elongated holes 108a and 110a are arranged) of the slide arms 108 and 110 is connected to the rail 6.

[0048] According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, since the rail 6 can move along the elongated holes 108a and 110a, the distance between the rail 4 and the rail 6 can be easily changed. As a result, the same operational effects as those of the wheel cleaning device 1 according to the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

[0049] In the present embodiment and the above-described modified examples, only the brush mat 16 is laid on the running surfaces 40 and 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a wheeled suitcase (also referred to as a wheeled carry case or a wheeled carry bag) having a plurality (two in FIG. 16) of wheels (casters) 292 of the same size for each wheel, that is, a so-called double-wheel structure (double-tire structure in FIG. 16), a configuration can be adopted in which brushes 212 are further arranged at positions corresponding to between the plurality of wheels (casters) 292 on the running surfaces 40 and 60. According to this configuration, when the wheeled suitcase (also referred to as a wheeled carry case or a wheeled carry bag) has a so-called double-wheel structure, the side surfaces between the plurality of wheels 292 can be cleaned well. The brush 212 is an example of an implementation configuration corresponding to the "second cleaning member" in the present invention.

[0050] In the present embodiment and the above-described modified examples, the brushes 12 and 14 are configured to use twist brushes, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any brush may be used as long as it has a hair material that intersects the side surfaces of the wheels 92 and 292.

[0051] In the present embodiment and the above-described modified examples, the brush mat 16 is laid on the running surfaces 40 and 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is only necessary to be able to clean the rolling surfaces of the wheels 92 and 292. For example, a configuration in which an adhesive sheet is laid may be adopted. Note that it is not necessary to lay a member (brush mat 16 or adhesive sheet) for cleaning the rolling surfaces of the wheels 92 and 292 on the running surfaces 40 and 60.

[0052] In the present embodiment and the above-described modified examples, the wheel cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment is applied to cleaning the wheels (casters) 92 of a wheeled suitcase (also referred to as a wheeled carry case or a wheeled carry bag) 90, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the wheel cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment can be applied to cleaning the wheels of a shopping cart, cleaning the wheels of a wheelchair, and the like.

[0053] This embodiment shows an example of a form for implementing the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment.

[0054] <Appendix> In view of the gist of the above invention, the wheel cleaning device according to the present invention can be configured in the following aspects. (Aspect 1) "A wheel cleaning device for cleaning a pair of left and right wheels, a first and a second rail part having a running surface on which the pair of left and right wheels can run and extending, and a pair of side walls vertically provided at both ends of the running surface in the extending direction of the running surface, a first cleaning member arranged along each of the pair of side walls, a connecting part for connecting the first and second rail parts so that the distance between the first and second rail parts can be freely changed, and a wheel cleaning device comprising the same." (Aspect 2) "The wheel cleaning device according to the above Aspect 1, further comprising a second cleaning member laid on the running surface." "The wheel cleaning device according to the above Aspect 1, further comprising a second cleaning member laid on the running surface." (Aspect 3) "The connecting part has a longitudinal direction and has a first end part and a second end part in the longitudinal direction, the first end part is swingably connected to the first rail part, and the second end part is swingably connected to the second rail part. The wheel cleaning device according to the above Aspect 1 or 2." (Aspect 4) "The connecting part has a longitudinal direction and has a first end part and a second end part in the longitudinal direction, the first end part has a long hole along the longitudinal direction, one of the first and second rail parts is engaged with the first end part so as to be movable along the long hole, and the other of the first and second rail parts is fixed to the second end part. The wheel cleaning device according to the above Aspect 1 or 2." (Aspect 5) The connecting portion has an inner rail and an outer rail slidably engaged with the inner rail. The inner rail is fixed to one of the first and second rail portions. The outer rail is fixed to the other of the first and second rail portions. The wheel cleaning device according to the above aspect 1 or 2. (Aspect 6) The connecting portion has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion arranged in parallel with the first connecting portion. The wheel cleaning device according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 5. (Aspect 7) At least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has a pair of inclined side walls having an inclination in a direction away from each other toward the tip at at least one of both ends in the extending direction of the pair of side walls. The wheel cleaning device according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 6. (Aspect 8) At least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has an inclined running surface having a downward inclination toward the tip at at least one of both ends in the extending direction of the running surface. The wheel cleaning device according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 7.

Explanation of Signs

[0055] 1 Wheel cleaning device (wheel cleaning device) 4 Rail (first rail portion) 6 Rail (second rail portion) 8 Link arm (connecting portion, first connecting portion) 8a Through hole 8b Through hole 10 Link arm (connecting portion, second connecting portion) 10a Through hole 10b Through hole 12 Brush (first cleaning member) 14 Brush (first cleaning member) 16 Brush mat (second cleaning member) 40 Running surface (Running surface) 40a Inclined running surface (Inclined running surface) 40b Inclined running surface (Inclined running surface) 41a Through hole 41b Through hole 42a Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 42b Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 42 Side wall (Side wall) 44 Side wall (Side wall) 44a Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 44b Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 60 Running surface (Running surface) 60a Inclined running surface (Inclined running surface) 60b Inclined running surface (Inclined running surface) 61a Through hole 61b Through hole 62 Side wall (Side wall) 62a Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 62b Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 64 Side wall (Side wall) 64a Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 64b Inclined side wall (Inclined side wall) 80 End band 90 Suitcase with wheels 92 Wheel (Wheel) 108 Slide arm (Connecting part, First connecting part) 108a Long hole (Long hole) 110 Slide arm (Connecting part, Second connecting part) 110a Long hole (Long hole) 111a Slide guide 111b Slide guide 200 Wheel cleaning device (Wheel cleaning device) 212 Brush (Second cleaning member) 292 Wheel (Wheel) Bolt with BLT color Cp Color part TL Running line

Claims

1. A wheel cleaning device for cleaning a pair of left and right wheels, comprising: first and second rail portions having a running surface on which the pair of left and right wheels can run and extending, and a pair of side walls erected at both ends of the running surface in the extending direction of the running surface; first cleaning members arranged along each of the pair of side walls; a connecting portion for connecting the first and second rail portions so that the distance between the first and second rail portions can be freely changed; The wheel cleaning device comprising the above.

2. Further comprising a second cleaning member laid on the running surface The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1.

3. The connecting portion has a longitudinal direction, and has a first end portion and a second end portion in the longitudinal direction. The first end portion is swingably connected to the first rail portion, and the second end portion is swingably connected to the second rail portion. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The connecting portion has a longitudinal direction, and has a first end portion and a second end portion in the longitudinal direction. The first end portion has a long hole along the longitudinal direction. One of the first and second rail portions is engaged with the first end portion so as to be movable along the long hole, and the other of the first and second rail portions is fixed to the second end portion. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1 or 2.

5. The connecting portion has an inner rail and an outer rail slidably engaged with the inner rail. The inner rail is fixed to one of the first and second rail portions. The outer rail is fixed to the other of the first and second rail portions. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1 or 2.

6. The connecting portion has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion arranged in parallel with the first connecting portion. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1.

7. At least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has a pair of inclined side walls having an inclination in a direction away from each other toward the tip at at least one of both ends of the pair of side walls in the extending direction. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1 or 2.

8. At least one of the first rail portion and the second rail portion has an inclined running surface having a downward inclination toward the tip at at least one of both ends of the running surface in the extending direction. The wheel cleaning device according to Claim 1 or 2.

Images