Inclined Wheel Guide Rail for Car Wash Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle washing systems face challenges in safely guiding large vehicles with wide track widths and large wheel diameters, leading to potential damage to vehicle parts and increased risk of collision with treatment units, while also posing safety hazards for personnel due to inadequate clearance between wheel guide rails and the wash portal.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle washing system features inclined wheel guide rails with a machine flank pointing upwards from the floor, allowing for safe passage and preventing rim damage by ensuring the upper, sloping area of the guide rail is clear from the tire and rim, and includes distance sensors for precise vehicle positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the wheel guide rails are positioned closer together to accommodate narrow car wash facilities, then the device complexity is reduced and space is optimized, but large vehicles with wide track widths cannot pass through without hitting the guide rails
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel guide rails are made movable along the longitudinal axis of the car wash facility, allowing their position to be dynamically adjusted. This enables the guide rails to be positioned closer together for narrow facilities while still accommodating large vehicles with wide track widths, as the rails can be moved to appropriate positions based on the specific vehicle and facility configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the wheel guide rails is made variable rather than fixed. By changing the longitudinal position of the guide rails along the facility axis, the system can adapt to different vehicle widths and track widths while maintaining safe operational clearances in narrow facility environments
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wheel guide rails are positioned farther apart to accommodate large vehicles with wide track widths, then vehicle adaptability is improved, but the clearance distance becomes insufficient creating safety hazards for personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel guide rails are made movable to allow dynamic positioning that optimizes both vehicle accommodation and personnel safety. The rails can be positioned at different longitudinal locations to maintain safe clearance distances from the wash portal while still accommodating large vehicles with wide track widths
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes sensors that detect the presence and position of vehicles, and based on this information, the wheel guide rails automatically adjust their position to maintain safe clearance distances. This self-adjusting mechanism ensures personnel safety while accommodating various vehicle sizes without requiring manual intervention
3Ease of operation
If the wheel guide rails are made higher to be more visible to drivers of large vehicles, then the guidance function is improved, but the risk of collision with protruding vehicle parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel guide rails are made movable rather than fixed at a constant height. This allows the rails to be positioned at different longitudinal locations where they can be more visible to drivers while minimizing the risk of collision with protruding vehicle parts such as mirrors and antennas, as the movable position can be optimized for each vehicle type
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect vehicle presence and characteristics, and based on this feedback, adjusts the position of the wheel guide rails to optimize visibility to drivers while minimizing collision risk. The feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt to different vehicle types and their specific protrusion patterns
Data Source
Figure 1~3c
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Figure 8
AI summary
The invention relates to a wheel guide rail (9; 10) for a car wash system, comprising a machine flank (9c; 10c) that points upward from a wash system floor (B) in the installed state and runs along a direction of travel (F) of a vehicle to be treated, and a car wash system comprising treatment devices (1, 1', 3, 3') that can travel along a direction of travel (F) for a vehicle to be treated, a pair of wheel guide rails (10, 10') disposed at the wash system floor (B) between the treatment devices (1, 1', 3, 3') and running in the direction of travel and at a distance from one another perpendicular to the direction of travel (F), said guide rails delimiting a lateral travel range (4) for the vehicle. The object of facilitating a safe, risk-free and damage-free treatment and cleaning of vehicles is met by the invention by a wheel guide rail (9; 10) in which the machine flank (9c; 10c) is designed such that it is tilted upward toward the vehicle (4), and by a car wash system comprising such wheel guide rails.