GB1243230A - Improvements in or relating to vehicle washing installations - Google Patents

Abstract

1,243,230. Vehicle washing installations. EISENWERK SIEGEN G.m.b.H. 30 Dec., 1968, No. 61648/68. Heading B7J. A vehicle washing installation comprises four oblique guides 11-14, Fig. 1, secured to a rectangular frame and carrying vertically mounted brushes 1-4 respectively by means of carriages 23, (24), Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 (not shown). The mechanisms for moving brushes 1 and 3 each comprise a carriage 23 movable on rollers 26, along a guide rail 13a mounted on the guide 13, rollers 27a, 27b preventing lifting and rocking of the carriage, which is connected to an endless chain 29 driven by a motor 28. The brush 3 is rotated by a motor 33, via a chain, Fig. 10 (not shown), and supported on a C-shaped arm 35, which may be hollow, having a series of nozzles for spraying the brush with water supplied by a trailing hose 37. When a vehicle contacts brush 3 the increase in load on the motor 33 increases the tension in one track (50) of the chain, Fig. 10 (not shown), and an electrical slider (51) moves against the action of springs to engage a point contact (56c), starting the motor 28 to move the brush 3 along the guide 13. If the brush moves faster than the vehicle the tension in track (50) will drop, slider (51) engaging a second contact (56b) stopping the motor 28. If the brush loses contact with the vehicle, a third contact (56a) will be engaged by slider (51) and the motor 28 will be reversed, tending to return carriage 23 to its start position in which it stops the motor 28 by tripping a switch 32. Brushes 2 and 4 are each attached to a carriage (24), similar to carriage 23, having a stop (42) engageable with a counterstop (41) on an endless chain (40) driven by a motor, the carriage (24) being biased forwardly by a counterweight (45). When the vehicle passes over a threshold switch, motor (28) starts, moving the counterstop (41) away from stop (42) until it trips a switch (43) at the end of the guide 14, stopping the motor. The carriage (24) is now free to move under the influence of the counterweight (45) which keeps the brush in contact with the vehicle. When the carriage (24) reaches the end of the guide, it engages a switch (32a) which starts the motor in reverse, returning the carriage (24) by engagement of the stops (41, 42). In a simplified arrangement, Figs. 11-15 (not shown), a pair of brushes is mounted on a single oblique guide, the mode of operation being similar to that above. A pair of horizontal brushes 5, 5<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 16, may be incorporated with the above arrangements. The construction of Fig. 16 is symmetric about the vertical centre-line of the apparatus. Brush 5 is mounted on a counterweighted carriage 6 connected to a motor-driven endless chain 7, and is controlled by variations in loading on the brush as. described for brush 3 above. Brush 5<SP>1</SP> is held in the upper position shown by a locking mechanism which is released when the vehicle operates a threshold switch, the brush 5<SP>1</SP> and carriage 6<SP>1</SP> moving downwards against the action of a counterweight 66<SP>1</SP> until it contacts the vehicle. Each motor for moving the carriages of the vertical and horizontal brushes preferably incorporates a flywheel clutch arranged so that the carriages may move faster than the speed produced by the motors, so that the brushes may be moved back if a vehicle travels too fast through the installation.