Tilted Support Plate Vehicle Brush for Modular Strip Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle washing and drying brushes are costly and require complex maintenance, lacking in performance and ease of maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A brush design featuring a rotating shaft with a tilted, discoidal support plate and removable cleaning/drying means, utilizing flexible vanes connected via hook & loop fasteners for easy maintenance and optimized positioning, allowing for efficient drying and washing with modular components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional washing brushes are used, then cleaning function is provided, but cost is high and maintenance is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into multiple support plates (first support plate, second support plate) that can be independently positioned and maintained. The cleaning elements are segmented into modular strips that can be individually replaced. This segmentation reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining reliable cleaning performance through modular replacement rather than complete system replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The support plates are designed to be tiltable relative to the rotation axis, creating dynamic adjustment capability. The cleaning elements are made flexible to adapt to vehicle surfaces. This dynamic design maintains high cleaning reliability while using simpler, more cost-effective materials and structures compared to rigid traditional systems.
2Reliability
If complex brush structures are used, then cleaning performance is improved, but maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into independent modular components (cleaning strips, support plates, connectors) that can be separately accessed and replaced. Maintenance personnel can replace individual cleaning strips without disassembling the entire brush assembly, significantly reducing maintenance difficulty while preserving cleaning performance through optimized support plate geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning strips are designed as consumable elements that can be easily removed and replaced when worn, while the durable support plates and shaft assembly are retained and reused. This approach maintains high cleaning performance through fresh cleaning elements while simplifying maintenance by allowing quick replacement of only the worn components.
3Length of moving object
If support plate is positioned orthogonally (90 degrees), then structural simplicity is maintained, but axial extension of brush action is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support plates are positioned at an angle other than 90 degrees relative to the rotation axis, creating a tilted configuration that extends the axial reach of the cleaning elements. This angular positioning is maintained through simple mechanical constraints on the shaft, achieving extended brush action without complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
By tilting the support plates relative to the rotation axis, the cleaning action is extended in the axial dimension rather than just radially. This dimensional change allows the brush to clean larger portions of the vehicle surface along the axial direction while maintaining relatively simple support plate structures constrained on the shaft.
Data Source
AI summary
A brush for drying and/or washing a vehicle may include a rotating shaft rotatable around a rotation axis thereof and drying/cleaning means for drying/cleaning the vehicle. The brush may also include a first rotatable support plate for supporting the drying/cleaning means. The first plate may be traversed by the shaft and constrained on the shaft in an operating configuration. In some embodiments, a fictional lying plane of the first plate and the rotation axis form an angle other than 90 degrees. The brush may also include a connector to connect the drying/cleaning means to the first plate and positioning means for positioning the first plate in the operating configuration.