Vertical wall cleaning system for truck bodies and other vehicles with long, narrow bodies, and cleaning brush device used therein.
The cleaning system addresses uneven load distribution by using a wide, vertically elongated brush device with an adjustable arm and inclined flanges, enabling efficient horizontal movement and uniform cleaning of large vertical surfaces.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 高田 弘幸
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
Existing cleaning systems for vertically long and horizontally wide bodies, such as truck walls, face difficulties in applying uniform horizontal movement due to uneven load distribution and structural limitations, making manual cleaning inefficient and prone to damage.
A cleaning system with a wide, vertically elongated brush device and an angle-adjustable operating arm that applies a uniform pressing force while maintaining parallel movement to the vertical wall, using an inclined surface to distribute loads through inclined flanges, allowing horizontal movement of the brush device.
Enables efficient, uniform cleaning of large vertical surfaces by distributing loads effectively, facilitating parallel horizontal movement of the brush device, thus improving cleaning efficiency and reducing mechanical stress on the attachment points.
Smart Images
Figure 2026076466000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning system for cleaning a vertical wall W such as a vertically long and horizontally wide body of a truck by pressing a wide and vertically long cleaning brush device against the vertical wall W while maintaining a posture substantially parallel to the vertical Y - Y axis, and then translating it in the horizontal X - X axis direction, and a cleaning brush device used therefor.
Background Art
[0002] For cleaning a horizontal floor surface, it can be cleaned using an electric rotating mop at the tip, but it is not suitable for cleaning a vertical wall W such as a vertically long and horizontally wide body of a truck. This is because the vertical wall W such as a vertically long and horizontally wide body of a truck has a reinforcing surface structure extending in the horizontal X - X axis direction, and also because the electric rotating mop at the tip is too heavy to maintain the height. Therefore, for cleaning the side vertical wall W of the horizontally long body of the truck, it is recommended to use a car wash device that sandwiches both sides with a pair of vertically extending swing brush devices and rotates the pair of vertical swing brush devices on both side surfaces for automatic cleaning. However, in the case of a large vertically long and horizontally wide body, the cleaning device becomes large, so automatic cleaning is often difficult. Therefore, manual washing at the parking position is required. Usually, a manual washing cleaning brush device has a T - shaped brush part and operation arm, which is not suitable for manual washing of a vertically long and horizontally wide large body with a long horizontal movement. Also, when the cleaning surface is vertically long, large moving loads are applied to both ends of the vertically long cleaning surface of the brush part, and the fixing of the cleaning surface becomes insufficient. Therefore, an attempt is made to fix the left and right ends of the vertically long brush device to the operation arm using a fitting that spreads in a Y - shape (Patent Document 1). However, when trying to use a T - shaped brush device, even if it is appropriate for the cleaning operation in the vertical Y - Y direction, the cleaning operation in the horizontal X - X direction of a large vertically long and horizontally wide body is not easy. Therefore, in order to facilitate the movement of the vertically long brush device in the horizontal X - X axis direction, a cleaning brush device in which the operation arm for the vertically long brush device is attached so that the angle can be adjusted is considered (Patent Document 2).
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-048216 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-80474 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0004] The inventors, considering that for tall, wide-bodied vehicles such as trucks, it is preferable to use a wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush device with a large cleaning area, i.e., a ground-contact cleaning area of approximately 300 to 600 square centimeters, to improve the efficiency of hand-washing work, diligently conducted research and found that attaching the operating arm to the tall, wide-bodied vehicle in an angle-adjustable manner would result in excessive load being placed on the attachment point, making it prone to damage and therefore not advisable. In other words, for tall, wide-bodied vehicles such as trucks, horizontal movement in the lateral XX axis is more important than vertical movement in the YY axis, but manually applying horizontal XX direction movement to the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush device at the tip of a long operating arm results in an uneven load distribution, making operation difficult. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning system and a cleaning brush device used therein that facilitate parallel movement F2 in the horizontal XX direction while applying as uniform a pressing force F1 as possible to a wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush device from a working position away from a vertical wall W. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] As a result of diligent research, the inventors have found that for cleaning vertical walls such as those of tall, wide bodies of trucks, it is preferable to apply horizontal movement in the lateral direction (XX) to a wide, vertical cleaning brush device with a ground contact cleaning area of approximately 500 square centimeters, from a position 50 to 150 cm away from the body. Firstly, it was found that it is preferable to have an operating arm, approximately 200 cm in length, attached to the wide, vertical cleaning brush device, at an angle of 15 to 30 degrees in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane forming the vertical wall W. Secondly, in order to move the wide, vertical cleaning brush device in parallel with respect to the vertical wall W while maintaining a posture approximately parallel to the vertical YY axis, it was found that it is preferable to hold the operating arm at an inclined surface with a rotation angle of 50 to 30°, preferably 40 ± 5 degrees, relative to the vertical YY axis of the vertical wall, and to receive the load of the pushing and pulling motion applied from the operating arm to the wide, vertical cleaning brush device on a surface inclined in the direction of movement.The present invention is based on such findings and is a cleaning system for vertical walls W of trucks and other vehicles with a vertically and horizontally elongated body, such as a truck, with a height exceeding 200 cm in the vertical YY axis direction and a length exceeding 400 cm in the horizontal XX axis direction, comprising: A) a wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 extending in the vertical YY axis direction of the vertical wall W with a contact area of 300 to 600 square centimeters, for example, a vertical length of about 50 cm and a width of about 10 cm in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis; and B) the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 with its vertical axis L in the vertical YY axis direction of the vertical wall W. C) consists of an operating arm 20 approximately 200 cm in length that moves parallel to the horizontal XX axis while maintaining a nearly parallel vertical position, and a mounting fixture 30 that attaches the tip of the operating arm 20 to the vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10. The mounting fixture 30 provides the gripping portion of the operating arm 20 with an angle α that spreads in the Z axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane of the vertical wall W when the wide vertically elongated brush means 10 is in contact with the vertical wall W, allowing the operator M to operate the operating arm 20 to move 50-15 degrees relative to the vertical wall W. The device includes an inclined surface 31 to which the operating arm 20 is attached, allowing the wide, elongated brush means 10 to be pressed against the vertical wall W from a distance of 0 cm or less; and on both sides of a fixing hole 32 provided on the inclined surface for fixing the wide, elongated brush means 10, there are inclined and swivel fixing grooves 33 formed by a pair of left and right rising inclined flanges 33a, 33b that are swiveled clockwise or counterclockwise within a range of 50 to 30° with respect to the vertical YY axis and fixed, and the operating arm 20 is removable within the inclined and swivel fixing grooves 33. The present invention relates to a cleaning system for vertical walls W such as the horizontal body of a truck, and a cleaning brush device used therefor, characterized in that the operating arm 20 is fixed to the wide vertical brush means 10, and the operating arm 20 applies a pressing force F1 to the vertical surface W by the inclination angle α, and the inclined flange 33a or 33b receives the pushing or pulling load of the operating arm 20 and transmits a horizontal X-axis moving force F2 to the wide vertical brush means 10. [Effects of the Invention]
[0006] According to the present invention, as shown in Figure 2, the operating arm 20 is attached to the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 via an inclined surface 31 with an inclination angle α with respect to the XY plane of the vertical wall W. As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning brush means 10 can apply a pressing force F1 to the vertical wall W at an operating position 50 to 150 cm away from the vertical wall W. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the operating arm 20 is attached to the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 with a pivot angle of 50 to 30°, preferably 40 ± 5°, with respect to the vertical YY axis. As a result, the operating arm 20 receives a load F2 on the inclined surfaces 33a and 33b during the pushing and pulling motion, allowing the vertical axis L of the cleaning brush means 10 to be moved parallel to the horizontal XX axis while maintaining approximately parallelism with the vertical YY axis. Therefore, even a large, wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 with a vertical length of approximately 50 cm extending horizontally and a width of approximately 10 cm perpendicular to the vertical axis L, and a contact area of 300 to 600 square centimeters, can be moved in parallel in the horizontal XX axis direction by the pushing and pulling motion of the operating arm 20 while maintaining the posture of the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 almost parallel to the vertical-vertical YY axis direction with respect to the vertical wall XY plane, while applying a pressing force F1 almost uniformly to the XY plane of the vertical wall W. This makes it easy to hand-clean vertical walls W such as the vertically and horizontally elongated body of a truck that exceeds 200 cm in height in the vertical YY axis direction and exceeds 400 cm in length in the horizontal XX axis direction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the vertical wall cleaning system of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged view of the main part of the vertical wall cleaning system of the present invention. [Figure 3] (a) is a plan view of the inclined spiral groove in Figure 2, and (b) is a modified example thereof. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of a car wash brush device used in the vertical wall cleaning system of the present invention. [Figure 5] (a) is a perspective view of a modified cleaning brush device used in the present invention, and an enlarged view of the rotating inclined groove, which is its main component. [Figure 6]This is a combination of a plan view of the mounting fixture for the cleaning brush device used in the present invention, and its left and right side views and top side view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0008] The present invention is a system suitable for cleaning vertical walls W of trucks, such as the vertically and horizontally elongated body shown in Figure 1, which have a height exceeding 200 cm in the vertical YY axis direction, a length exceeding 400 cm in the horizontal XX axis direction, and a reinforcing corrugated sheet surface extending horizontally. In the present invention, the cleaning brush device shown in Figure 4 is used. Specifically, the cleaning brush device consists of A) a cleaning brush means 10, B) an operating arm 20, and C) a mounting fixture 30.
[0009] The cleaning brush means 10 consists of cleaning equipment 11 such as a sponge, brush, or mop, and a support plate 12 that supports the cleaning equipment and extends to its entire upper surface. A mounting bracket 30 for attaching the operating arm 20 is fixed on the support plate 12. This mounting bracket 30 is a base with a triangular cross-section, and when the cleaning brush means 10 is positioned parallel to the vertical YY axis of the vertical wall W, it is positioned relative to the operating arm. An inclined surface 31 is formed having an inclination angle α in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane. A pair of rising flange members 33a and 33b are sandwiched between the fixing bolt hole 32 of the central operating arm 20 of the inclined surface, and an inclined fixing groove 33 is formed with a rotation angle of 40 ± 5 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise with respect to the vertical YY axis of the vertical wall W.
[0010] The cleaning brush means 10 is vertically elongated, approximately 50 cm in length, and extends in the vertical YY axis direction of the vertical wall W. It has a width of approximately 10 cm in a direction perpendicular to its vertical axis L, and is formed as a wide, elongated shape with a total contact area of 300 to 600 square centimeters.
[0011] The operating arm 20 moves the wide, elongated cleaning brush means 10 in parallel along the horizontal XX axis while maintaining its vertical axis L in a vertical direction that is approximately parallel to the vertical YY axis direction of the vertical wall W. The arm is approximately 200 cm long and has a fixing part 21 that fits into the following inclined swivel fixing groove and a fixing screw 22 that screws into the following fixing hole 32.
[0012] The mounting fixture 30 for attaching the tip of the operating arm 20 to the elongated cleaning brush means 10 consists of an inclined surface 31 and a fixing groove 32. The inclined surface 31 provides an inclination angle α that spreads in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane of the vertical wall W when the wide elongated brush means 10 is in contact with the vertical wall W. This allows the operator M operating the operating arm 20 to press the wide elongated brush means 10 against the vertical wall W from a distance of 50 to 150 cm from the vertical wall W.
[0013] A fixing hole 32 for fixing the wide, elongated brush means 10 is provided near the center of the inclined surface. On either side of the fixing hole, a pair of left and right rising inclined flanges 33a and 33b are positioned opposite each other, which are fixed by rotating clockwise or counterclockwise within a range of 40° ± 5° with respect to the vertical YY axis, forming an inclined and rotating fixing groove 33. Therefore, as shown in Figure 4, by fitting the tip fixing portion 21 of the operating arm 20 into the fixing groove 33 of the mounting fixture 30 and screwing the fixing screw 22 into the fixing hole 32, the operating arm 20 can be inclined with respect to the brush means 10 by α degrees in the Z axis direction perpendicular to the XY plane of the vertical wall W, and can be rotated at a β = 40 ± 5 degree clockwise with respect to the vertical YY axis.
[0014] In other words, when the operating arm 20 is detachably fixed in the inclined swivel fixing groove 33, the operator M grasps the operating arm 20 at a position 50 to 150 cm away from the vertical wall W due to the inclination angle α, and when the wide, elongated brush means 10 is pressed against the vertical surface W, a pressing force F1 suitable for cleaning is applied.
[0015] " On the other hand, when the operation arm 20 is fixed in the inclined turning groove 33, a turning angle of 40 ± 5 degrees is imparted with respect to the vertical Y - Y axis. Therefore, by the horizontal operation of pushing and pulling left and right, as shown in FIG. 2, the inclined rising flange 33a or 33b receives the pushing or pulling load of the operation arm 20 and transmits a moving force F2 in the horizontal X - X axis direction to the wide - long vertical brush means 10.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 3(a), the inclined fixing groove 33 is formed by a pair of opposing rising flange members 33a and 33b that are turned 45° clockwise. However, as shown in FIG. 3(b), it may be configured from a combination of a right - hand inclined groove 33A and a left - hand inclined groove 33B with respect to the vertical Y - Y axis.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a modified example of FIG. 4. This fixture 30 is a short base material with a triangular cross - section. When the cleaning brush means 10 is positioned parallel to the vertical Y - Y axis of the vertical wall W, an inclined surface 31 having an inclination angle α in the Z - axis direction perpendicular to the X - Y plane with respect to the operation arm is formed. At the same time, the fixing bolt hole 32 of the operation arm 20 at the center of the inclined surface is sandwiched, and with a pair of rising flange members 33a and 33b on both sides, an inclined fixing groove 33 for turning the operation arm 20 in a clockwise or counter - clockwise direction by a turning angle of 40 ± 5 degrees with respect to the vertical Y - Y axis of the vertical wall W is formed. FIG. 6 shows a plan view, left and right side views, and upper side view (the lower side view is omitted because it is the same) of the fixture except for the rear view.
Explanation of Signs
[0018] 10 Cleaning brush means 20 Operation arm 30 Fixture
Claims
1. A cleaning system for a vertical wall W, comprising: A) a wide, elongated cleaning brush means 10 that extends vertically in the vertical Y-Y axis direction of the vertical wall W and has a constant width in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis L; B) an operating arm 20 that moves the wide, elongated cleaning brush means 10 in parallel in the horizontal X-X axis direction while maintaining its posture in a vertical direction where its vertical axis L is substantially parallel to the vertical Y-Y axis direction of the vertical wall W; and C) a mounting fixture 30 that attaches the tip of the operating arm 20 to the elongated cleaning brush means 10, wherein when the wide, elongated cleaning brush means 10 is in contact with the vertical wall W, the gripping portion of the operating arm 20 is given an inclination angle α that spreads in the Z axis direction perpendicular to the X-Y plane of the vertical wall W, and the operator M operating the operating arm 20 is able to move the wide, elongated cleaning brush means 10 from a distance of 50 to 150 cm from the vertical wall W. A cleaning system for a vertical wall W, comprising: an inclined surface 31 on which a vertically elongated brush means 10 is mounted so as to be pressed against the vertical wall W; and on both sides of a fixing hole 32 provided on the inclined surface for fixing the wide vertically elongated brush means 10, an inclined and swivel fixing groove 33 which is fixed by swiveling clockwise or counterclockwise within a range of 50 to 30° with respect to the vertical Y-Y axis; wherein the operating arm 20 is detachably fixed within the inclined and swivel fixing groove 33, and the operating arm 20 applies a pressing force F1 to the wide vertically elongated brush means 10 against the vertical surface W by the operating arm 20 at the inclination angle α, and the inclined flange 33a or 33b receives the pushing or pulling load of the operating arm 20 and transmits a moving force F2 in the horizontal X-X axis direction to the wide vertically elongated brush means 10 by horizontal pushing or pulling operation of the operating arm 20 to the left or right.
2. A vertical wall cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the object to be cleaned is a truck with a vertically elongated body that exceeds 200 cm in height in the vertical Y-Y axis direction and exceeds 400 cm in length in the horizontal X-X axis direction, and has a vertical wall W having a corrugated sheet extending in the horizontal direction.
3. A cleaning brush device used in the system described in claim 2, comprising: A) a wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 that is vertically elongated by approximately 50 cm in the vertical Y-Y axis direction of a vertical wall W, has a width of approximately 10 cm in a direction perpendicular to the vertical axis, and has a contact area of 300 to 600 square centimeters; B) an operating arm 20 that is approximately 200 cm long for moving the wide, vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10 in parallel in the horizontal X-X axis direction while maintaining its posture in a vertical direction in which its vertical axis L is approximately parallel to the vertical Y-Y axis direction of the vertical wall W; and C) a mounting fixture 30 for attaching the tip of the operating arm 20 to the vertically elongated cleaning brush means 10, wherein when the wide, vertically elongated brush means 10 is in contact with the vertical wall W, the gripping portion of the operating arm 20 is in the X-Y plane of the vertical wall W. A cleaning device for vertical walls W, such as the horizontal body of a truck, characterized by comprising: an inclined surface 31 that is provided with an inclination angle α that extends in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the vertical wall W, and is attached so that an operator M operating the operating arm 20 can press the wide vertical brush means 10 against the vertical wall W from a position within 50 to 150 cm away from the vertical wall W; and on both sides of a fixing hole 32 provided on the inclined surface for fixing the wide vertical brush means 10, inclined and swivel fixing grooves 33 formed by a pair of left and right rising inclined flanges 33a, 33b that are fixed by swiveling clockwise or counterclockwise within a range of 50 to 30° with respect to the vertical Y-Y axis.
4. The cleaning device for the vertical wall W of the horizontal body of a truck according to claim 2, wherein the inclined fixing groove 33 is a combination of a rightward inclined groove 33A and a leftward inclined groove 33B with respect to the vertical axis of the wide vertical brush means 10.