GB1299293A - Vehicle washing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1299293 Vehicle washing apparatus TOYA ENTERPRISE KK 11 Feb 1970 6571/70 Heading B7J [Also in Division G3] A vehicle washing apparatus includes a travelling frame 14, a substantially horizontal brush 1 carried between two arms 2 and rotated by an electric motor M 1 mounted on one of the arms, means M 2 , 6, 7 for moving the brush towards or away from a vehicle being washed in response to the load on the motor M 1 , and a pair of carriers 5 which support the brush 1 and arms 2 and move vertically relative to the frame. The arms 2 carrying the brush 1 are rigidly secured to a rod 3, the ends of the rod being pivotally mounted in the carriers 5. The movement of the carriers up or down the side wall 4 of the frame is effected by a reversible motor M 2 , chains 6 and sprockets 7. The motor M 2 is controlled as follows: if, as the brush moves towards the vehicle surface, the load on the motor M 1 exceeds a predetermined value the voltage across a resistor 9 is detected by a circuit SC comprising a variable resistor 10 and an amplifier 11, and a signal is fed to a relay 12. This causes switches C 1 , C 2 , which can assume two positions engaging contacts a, a 1 or b, b 1 and which connect the field coil 13 of the motor M 2 to its D.C. power source, to switch over, thus reversing the polarity of the current supplied to, and hence the direction of rotation of, the motor M 2 and resulting in the brush moving away from the vehicle surface. This causes the load on motor M 1 to fall below the predetermined value, detection by the circuit SC ceases and the contacts return to their original position, thus the brush executes an oscillating movement. In an alternative embodiment the relay 12 is controlled in response to the voltage across the terminals of the motor M 1 ,