MXPA97000786A - Brush with flexible cleaning elements made of synthetic resin of closed cell expand - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotating brush for washing surfaces, comprising: a rotating brush holder that provides an endless brush support surface with a sleeve secured on a surface to the rotating brush holder and comprising, on an external surface, consecutive washing element retention bands, plural washing elements, each of the plural washing elements being fastened to one of the strips of retention of consecutive washing elements, each of the plural washing elements comprising a stripe of closed cell material of synthetic resin with a skinny end comprising a plurality of open sections, interspersed with parallel finger so that an open fringe application end is formed, to the sitic resin material being selected from the group consisting of polyurethane with a vinyl acetate additive, and each of the washing element retention bands being dimensioned to accept a mounting end of one of the elements of one of the plurality of washing elements and cooperatively with a retaining core, to compress the closed cells of the mounting end sufficiently so that one of the plurality of elements of Washing remains secured to each of the element retaining bands during the operation of the rotating lava brush

Description

BRUSH WITH FLEXIBLE CLEANING ELEMENTS MADE OF SYNTHETIC RESIN OF CLOSED CELL CLOSED This invention belongs to the technological sector that deals with the creation of systems for the automatic, motorized or manual washing of vehicles and, more specifically to a new type of brush that can be used by connecting it to a rotating or mobile device that is part of the same system before mentioned. The rotating brushes currently in use are composed of a support member, which is usually cylindrical (and, as mentioned, is attached by known means to a rotating device), to the external surface of which a number of flexible cleaning elements that are supported against each other and are fixed at their ends towards the support member itself, perpendicular thereto. As is known, the automatic cleaning and washing of, for example, the body of a motor vehicle is achieved by having several brushes of the aforementioned type rotating in such a way that the flexible elements, which are held in a predetermined configuration by the action of the centrifugal force that is generated by the rotation of the brushes, are pushed against the body of the vehicle once the water and / or the appropriate washing solutions or emulsions have been applied. Up to now, the aforementioned cleaning elements have been elaborated in most cases of polyethylene (in the form of wires) or felt (in the form of strips or fringes). In the previous case, the free end of each wire comprising the brush is flattened by a special procedure called "plumeado" stretching it in this way in order to distribute its impact on a larger surface while at the same time increasing the cleaning surface. During the time, small particles similar to rock or metal coming from previously cleaned surfaces are deposited on the aforementioned end, which, after the washing described above, wrinkles and becomes porous to a certain degree and, said particles, which they are embedded in the rough and porous parts mentioned above, they remain there in the form of an incrustation, thus forming abrasive zones that can scrape the paint finishes of the bodies of the vehicles being washed, causing slight corrosion in them. This type of problem becomes more severe in the case of elements that are made of felt, whose spongy consistency is more likely to incorporate the aforementioned particles. In view of the strong tendency of the felt to absorb the liquids with which it is contacted, there is the additional disadvantage that, at temperatures approaching zero grams and that due to the contribution to cooling that is caused by evaporation that is created by the turbulent movement of the brushes, the elements tend to freeze completely or partially becoming rigid and preventing the operation of the system. The inventor of this invention has solved the above problems, while also providing other advantages which are explained in more detail below, by elaborating the aforementioned flexible cleaning elements of an expanded closed cell synthetic resin which also possesses the characteristics of The softness and flexibility required in this case, does not have a significant roughness or porosity and, therefore, can not absorb any liquid that can freeze or incorporate any abrasive particles, thus completely ensuring a complete wash without the risk that the elements of cleaning freeze or cause corrosion. The object of this invention is a surface washing brush that is particularly suitable for motorized systems for automatic vehicle washing and includes a support member that can be attached to a rotating or mobile device and a number of flexible cleaning elements that they support each other and are attached at their ends to the support member itself, perpendicular thereto, characterized in that the flexible elements are made of an expanded closed cell resin. The invention will now be explained in more detail using some modalities that are not limited or joined with respect to the other possible modalities and, considering which, it will be evident that other advantages can be obtained with said modalities. In the elaboration of the aforementioned description, reference will be made to the appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a side view of a brush according to the invention, in which at one end the flexible elements are attached to a cylindrical shirt; Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of a detail of the brush of Fig. 1, in which the attachment of the cleaning elements to the jacket is illustrated; Fig. 3 shows a top view of an example of a flat located flexible cleaning element that is attached to a cylindrical sleeve in a brush according to the invention. Considering Figs. 1 and 2: show a possible joining means, which is known per se, between the flexible cleaning elements 4 and the cylindrical jacket 2 on whose exterior, over its entire length, there are a number of radial incisions equidistanced 2r that are placed parallel to the axis of the shirt. Each of the incisions 2r has a cross section that is shaped in such a way that it forms an open space 2c whose walls, at least in their end areas, converge towards the outside. To make the connection between each flexible cleaning element 4 and one of the incisions 2r, the element is folded back on one end 4e in such a way as to form a loop which is inserted longitudinally into the space 2c of an incision 2r. To secure it in that position, thus allowing the remainder of the cleaning element 4 to protrude outwards, it is sufficient to insert within the curl 4a, also in the longitudinal direction, a core 5 which is of such size and shape as to compress, with a previously established pressure, the curl 4a against the walls of the space 2c that surrounds it and therefore, by means of the friction that is generated in this way, prevents the curl from unharnessing in the radial direction under the action of force centrifuge and other forces that are generated during brush operation. In the case of a brush according to the invention, the above described connection is sufficient to avoid the aforementioned stripping because the compression capacity and the coefficient of friction of an expanded synthetic resin are such as to guarantee that the desired results will be obtained simply designed in a suitable way the different components, without requiring sutures of support between two opposite edges of the curl 4a which, in the current state of the art, it is necessary to insure in some occasions in its place flexible cleaning elements made of felt. In addition to the functional advantages already described, other advantages are also obtained from the point of view of time and cost involved in the production of a rotating brush. After the synthetic resin is chemically treated to ensure expansion and polymerization to thereby impart the closed cell and physical configuration, according to the inventor the resin that was used was preferably selected from the group containing polyethylene , polyethylene with an additive of vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyurethane, although it is also possible to use other types of synthetic resin that prove to be suitable for that purpose. There is also no problem with the use of other types of synthetic resin that have similar characteristics. The embodiments of the invention that are produced with the different materials but reflect the content of the appended claims are also within the structure of the protection offered by this patent application. The flexible cleaning elements can be made and shaped as is more appropriate, as determined by the skill of one skilled in the art: for example, an element can be designed to be placed flat, as shown in Fig. 3; In addition to the union to the jacket 2, which can be made as shown or by other methods that are known, a preferred embodiment of the element itself, which is known per se, specifies that on an element, having a width 1 that it is essentially equal to that of the jacket 2, makes a series of parallel incisions 4i which are of a predetermined length H and is perpendicular to the axis of rotation KK of the brush 1, in such a way as to form a fringe. However, obviously, someone skilled in the art would be aware of numerous other modifications, depending on the requirements of the particular technique of the different cases.

Claims (4)

1. The surface washing brush (1), which is particularly suitable for automatic vehicle washing systems, comprising a support member (2) that can be connected to a rotating or moving device (3) and to a number of cleaning elements flexible (4) that are supported and joined at their ends (4e) to the support member (3), perpendicular thereto, characterized in that the flexible cleaning elements (4n) are made of a closed cell synthetic resin expanded. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic resin is selected from the group containing: polyethylene, polyethylene with a vinyl acetate (EVA) additive, and polyurethane. The brush according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible cleaning elements (4) have a flat arrangement and a width (1) that is essentially equal to that of the support member (2) to which they are attached. united and have a series of parallel incisions (4i) that are of a predetermined length (h) and are perpendicular to the axis of rotation (kk) of the brush (1), in such a way that they form a fringe. 4. The brush according to claim 3, wherein the support member is composed of a cylindrical jacket (2) which, on its exterior, over its entire length, has a number of radial incisions equidistanced (2r) that they are placed parallel to the axis of the jacket, wherein each incision (22) has a cross section that is formed in such a way that it forms an open space (2c) with the walls converging towards the outside and where each of the elements flexible cleaning (4) is folded back at one end in such a way that the curl (4a) that is formed in this way can be held in one of the spaces (2c) and can remain in it because it is inserted inside it, in the longitudinal direction, a core (5) that is shaped in such a way that it compresses with a predetermined pressure loop (4a) against the walls of the space (2c), thus preventing it from unraveling in the direction radial