GB1137269A - Apparatus for automatically cleaning vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1,137,269. Apparatus for cleaning motor vehicles. H. WœSTER. 15 Nov., 1966 [22 Dec., 1965; 20 July, 1966; 9 Sept., 1966], No. 51247/66. Heading B7J. Apparatus for automatically cleaning motor vehicles, comprises a washing gantry 1, movable on rails 3a or on the floor past a vehicle F, or stationary while the vehicle F is moved therethrough by a chain (not shown) or under its own power, the gantry 1 having washing water or agent nozzles 2, and horizontal and vertical brushes arranged to act on the vehicle surfaces, wherein the brushes are pivoted about axes parallel to their longitudinal axes, and are oscillated about the axes during cleaning. In an embodiment, two horizontal brushes 4a for washing the top surfaces of the vehicle are pivoted at 5 to a bar 6 connected to counterweighted brackets 7 which are slidable in vertical rails 8, and are oscillated by a pneumatic motor 12. One or more spacer rollers 14 or slide blocks is carried on a trailing lever 15 positioned by a pneumatic motor 16. Two vertical brushes 20 are provided for washing the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle, and each is oscillated through 180 degrees by a shaft 30 driven via sprockets 31, 33 and endless chains or V-belts 32, 34 by a reciprocating pneumatic or electric motor which is carried on a spring-loaded carriage 40. Each brush 20 is pivoted to a bar 21 carried by a pantograph 22 extensible by a pneumatic motor 28, and may be spring-biased away from the vehicle and have spacer rollers or blocks. In modifications each brush comprises two mutually inclined parallel brushes oscillated mechanically by gears or chains and sprockets, or crank and rocker, or hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically, in opposite senses at different velocities; two rows of horizontal brushes are spaced along the vehicle, and each comprises two (or more) mutually-inclined brushes which oscillate either indepedently or in unison with each other but out of phase with the brushes of the other row at different and variable velocities in each direction. In another embodiment, a pair of two mutually inclined brushes 4a is carried by three arms 61, 62, 63 which support two V-belts 68 by means of rollers 65-67, the rollers 66, 67 being selectively rotatable by ratchet and pawl mechanisms operated by reciprocable pneumatic cylinders or by the brush shaft 5, so that the V-belts can climb vertical surfaces of, e.g. a box car, the gantry 1 being equipped with electric position switches 74, 75 operable by the bracket 7 or stops (not shown), to prevent the gantry moving while the carrier 6 is moving vertically.