Vehicle Wash Brush Structure for Non-Rotating Contour Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic car washing systems using rotating brushes face challenges in safely and effectively cleaning vehicles due to varying vehicle shapes, sizes, and surface types, leading to potential damage, incomplete cleaning, and excessive water and chemical use.
Innovation Solution
The development of brushes with a hub and outwardly extending bristles at an acute angle, featuring multiple cleaning structures, which are mounted on flexible stanchions and moved in a vehicle-friendly manner, eliminating the need for rotation, and are injection molded as integral units for cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rotating bristle brushes are used to achieve proper tip speed and contact, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but vehicle damage risk increases due to inability to closely follow intricate contours
Solution Approach 1:
The brush system transitions from rigid rotating brushes to flexible hang-down curtains that can dynamically adapt their shape and position. The curtains are designed to hang vertically and flexibly follow the vehicle contours, eliminating the rigid rotational motion that causes damage while maintaining cleaning contact through gravitational suspension and manual or mechanical manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system is divided into multiple segments including hang-down curtains, wavelike brush carriers with multiple brushes, and manipulatable stanchions. This segmentation allows different components to work in coordination, with curtains providing gentle initial cleaning and brush carriers providing targeted agitation, thereby achieving effective cleaning without the harmful集中 force of rotating brushes.
2Productivity
If rotating brushes are used to achieve thorough cleaning, then cleaning coverage is improved, but water and chemical usage increases due to centrifugal action flinging solution
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful centrifugal action is completely removed from the system by eliminating rotating brushes. Instead, cleaning solution is applied and retained through gravity-fed hang-down curtains and controlled application mechanisms, ensuring solution remains in contact with vehicle surfaces for thorough cleaning without wasteful flinging or spray dispersion.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If soft and gentle brushes are used to follow vehicle contours, then vehicle safety is improved, but cleaning effectiveness decreases due to inability to provide sufficient agitation
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system segments functions between hang-down curtains for gentle contour-following cleaning and separate wavelike brush carriers for targeted agitation. This allows soft curtains to protect vehicle surfaces while dedicated brush carriers provide necessary mechanical agitation for thorough cleaning, particularly in areas requiring more force.
Solution Approach 2:
The wavelike brush carriers utilize periodic oscillating motion to provide enhanced cleaning agitation. This back-and-forth or wave-like movement increases the mechanical action on stubborn areas without requiring continuous high-speed rotation, thereby maintaining gentleness while improving cleaning effectiveness on contoured surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
Washing devices comprise an integrally formed brush component including a hub having a central axis and a plurality of bristles. Each bristle includes a shaft extending from the hub and having outwardly extending cleaning structures. The bristles extend radially from the central axis of the hub. A cylindrical support comprises a webbing having an array of holes positioned to receive the bristles of the brush component, each of the bristles being received within and extending outwardly from respective holes in the webbing. Alternate embodiments comprise an integrally-formed, linear brush component including a plurality of connected hub elements, each hub element carrying a bristle. Each bristle includes an elongated shaft having multiple cleaning structures extending outwardly. A webbing comprises an array of holes positioned to receive the bristles of the linear brush component, each of the bristles being received within and extending outwardly from respective holes in the webbing.