Pivoting Vehicle Wash Brush for Rear Surface Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wrap-around brushes for vehicle car wash systems face challenges in providing thorough cleaning of rear surfaces, especially at higher conveyor speeds, and struggle to accommodate vehicles of different lengths and widths, leading to insufficient cleaning and potential damage to exterior features.
Innovation Solution
A wrap-around brush system with a motorized shaft and biasing mechanism that allows the brush to pivot from a vertical to a non-vertical position, enabling extended contact with rear surfaces and improved cleaning of angled surfaces, while minimizing damage through a controlled brush assembly with media attachment mechanisms and fluid delivery systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the brush is positioned in a vertical orientation, then it can effectively clean the front and side surfaces of the vehicle, but it cannot provide sufficient cleaning of the rear vehicle surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The brush assembly incorporates a pivot mechanism that allows the brush to dynamically change its orientation from vertical to angled relative to the vehicle rear surface. This dynamic adjustment enables the brush to adapt to different vehicle configurations and maintain effective cleaning contact on rear surfaces, resolving the contradiction between maintaining precise front/side cleaning geometry and adapting to rear surface cleaning requirements
2Productivity
If the conveyor speed is increased to improve productivity, then the wash process becomes more efficient, but the dwell time of the brush on the vehicle rear surface becomes insufficient for thorough cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an angular dimension to the brush orientation, allowing it to contact the rear vehicle surface at an angled position rather than maintaining a fixed vertical orientation. This dimensional change extends the effective contact length and dwell time of the brush on the rear surface, enabling thorough cleaning even at higher conveyor speeds where traditional vertical brushes would have insufficient contact time
3Manufacturing precision
If the brush is designed to contact the rear vehicle surface at an angled position, then cleaning of rear surfaces is improved, but the complexity of the brush assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than designing a complex fixed angled structure, the invention uses a dynamic pivot mechanism that allows the brush to achieve the optimal angled contact position through controlled movement. This approach maintains structural simplicity while achieving the desired cleaning effectiveness, as the pivot mechanism is simpler than designing and adjusting complex fixed angled support structures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides enhanced cleaning of front, side, and rear vehicle surfaces, accommodating various vehicle configurations and speeds, with increased dwell time on rear surfaces for improved cleaning and reduced damage to vehicle exteriors.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing mechanism (28) urging the shaft (22) from a substantially vertical position to a non-vertical position
Implementation Method 2
a rotatable shaft (22) having an axis of rotation... a plurality of wash media elements (32) rotating with the shaft (22)... to treat at least front and back surfaces of a vehicle
Data Source
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AI summary
A vehicle treatment system for a vehicle wash system includes a frame portion (20) in communication with a brush assembly (16) for treating front and rear vehicle surfaces. The brush assembly is rotated about an axis of rotation such that its associated wash media elements (40) rotate therewith. The brush assembly includes a support carrier (70) that is moveable with respect to the frame portion. The brush assembly includes a biasing mechanism that switches the brush assembly axis of rotation from a vertical orientation to a non-vertical orientation. A control system communicates with the support carrier to move the brush assembly along the front surface of the vehicle in a substantially vertical position and along the rear surface of the vehicle in a non-vertical position.