Wrap Around Brush Station With Pivoting Side Brushes to Prevent Vehicle Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wrap around stations in automatic car washes fail to effectively clean the contours of vehicles without causing damage.
Innovation Solution
A wrap around station with moveable, spinning brushes that pivot and move side-to-side, utilizing a cross piece with roller assemblies and linear actuators to follow the vehicle's contours, ensuring close contact and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fixed brushes are used in wrap around stations, then the structure is simple and stable, but the brushes cannot effectively follow the vehicle's contours without causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The brush assembly is transformed from a fixed structure to a dynamic one capable of multiple degrees of freedom. The brush can spin around a vertical center of rotation, pivot horizontally, and move side-to-side through the roller assembly mechanism, allowing it to adapt to different vehicle contours while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The brush system is divided into multiple independent functional components: the spinning brush element, the pivot mechanism, and the side-to-side movement system via roller assemblies. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, achieving complex contour following through coordinated simple movements
2Productivity
If brushes are made moveable to follow vehicle contours, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the risk of causing damage to the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The brush system dynamically changes its operational parameters including rotation speed, pivot angle, and side-to-side position based on the vehicle's contours. This adaptability allows the brush to maintain optimal cleaning contact while avoiding excessive force that could cause damage to different vehicle surfaces
3Adaptability or versatility
If the brush center of rotation is fixed, then the mechanism is simpler, but the brush cannot pivot to access various vehicle surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The center of rotation is made dynamic through the pivot mechanism rather than being fixed. This allows the brush to adjust its orientation and access different vehicle surfaces while the roller assemblies provide the necessary mechanical support and controlled movement
Data Source
AI summary
A wrap around station of a car wash including a cross piece comprising one or more cross beams and a pair of roller assemblies disposed on the cross piece. Each roller assembly includes one or more first rollers with a substantially vertical axis of rotation, and one or more second rollers with a substantially horizontal axis of rotation. Each of the one or more first and second rollers are arranged to rotate in contact with at least one of the one or more cross beams. A pair of linear actuators are configured to move the roller assemblies along the cross piece. A first side brush and a second side brush are each pivotally and rotatably attached to a corresponding one of the roller assemblies so that the first and second side brushes are moveable along the cross piece and pivotable relative to the cross piece and relative to one another.