Vehicle Wash Brush Angle Control for Inclined Surface Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle washing installations struggle to achieve thorough cleaning, especially in transition regions between inclined surfaces, due to inadequate brush alignment and potential for undesirable swinging, which can lead to unsatisfactory cleaning results and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that include a device for detecting and regulating the inclination angle of cleaning brushes using an angle sensor with a magnet and magnetic field sensor, allowing the brushes to adapt to varying inclinations and prevent unwanted swinging, ensuring thorough cleaning and enhanced operational safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional washing brushes are used on inclined surfaces, then the basic cleaning function is provided, but the cleaning result in transition regions is unsatisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning brush is equipped with an inclination adjustment mechanism that allows it to dynamically change its inclination angle during the cleaning process. The brush can be adjusted from a vertical basic position to various inclined positions to match the inclination angle of different vehicle surfaces, enabling thorough cleaning in transition regions and on inclined surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the inclination angle parameter of the cleaning brush to adapt to different vehicle surfaces. By adjusting the brush inclination angle to correspond to the inclination angle of the vehicle's outer surfaces, the cleaning effectiveness is improved while maintaining the basic cleaning function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If side brushes are suspended freely at the upper end of their axis of rotation, then the brushes can adapt to vehicle contours, but undesirable swinging occurs during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
A counterweight element is provided that acts against the brush weight to compensate for swinging movements. The counterweight is configured to generate a counteracting moment that stabilizes the brush during operation, preventing undesirable swinging while allowing the brush to maintain contact with vehicle contours.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension element is designed to dampen swinging movements before they become problematic. By providing damping capability in advance, the system prevents excessive swinging during the cleaning process while maintaining the brush's ability to adapt to vehicle contours.
3Manufacturing precision
If the inclination angle of cleaning brushes is not precisely controlled, then the apparatus structure remains simple, but cleaning thoroughness in transition regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A sensor device is provided that detects the inclination angle of the cleaning brush and provides feedback signals to a control unit. The control unit processes this information and actuates the inclination adjustment mechanism to maintain the brush at the correct inclination angle, ensuring thorough cleaning in transition regions through precise angle control.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual or mechanical inclination adjustment is replaced with an automated system combining sensors, control units, and actuating mechanisms. This substitution enables precise inclination angle control without requiring complex manual adjustment mechanisms, achieving thorough cleaning through automated feedback control.
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 solution enables precise monitoring and regulation of brush inclination, ensuring thorough cleaning of vehicle surfaces, including transition regions, while preventing brush swinging and maintaining safe contact pressure, thus improving cleaning efficacy and safety.
Implementation Method 1
The angle sensor is formed such that during monitoring of the inclination angle of the cleaning brush a change in an orientation of a magnetic field of the magnet is detected
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cleaning a vehicle having at least one outer surface which is inclined by an inclination angle with respect to the vertical, includes a device for detecting the inclination angle of the at least one outer surface, a cleaning brush which can be passed along the at least one outer surface, a device for setting an inclination angle of the cleaning brush with respect to the vertical corresponding to the inclination angle of the at least one outer surface, a device 20 for monitoring the inclination angle of the cleaning brush, and a device for regulating the inclination angle of the cleaning brush for adjusting to the inclination angle of the at least one outer surface. A method for cleaning a vehicle having at least one outer surface which is inclined by an inclination angle with respect to the vertical is also provided.