US3590845A

US3590845A - Vehicle washing equipment

Info

Publication number: US3590845A
Authority: US
Inventors: James K Maclean
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-11-01
Filing date: 1968-11-01
Publication date: 1971-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 1988-07-06

Abstract

In vehicle-washing equipment having an expansion accumulator tank adapted to receive liquid additive and fluid flow means operable during successive wash and rinse cycles of the equipment to expel additive under pressure from the tank into the stream of water.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor James K. MacLean 283 Norwood Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14222 [21] Appl. No. 772,564 [22] Filed Nov. 1, 1968 [4S] Patented July 6, 1971 [54] VEHICLE WASHING EQUIPMENT 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

52 us. Cl ..137/101.11, 137/98,137/564.5 [51] Int. Cl ..G05d11/13 [50] Field of Search ..137/101.11, 100. 98, 564.5; 239/305. 304, 310

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,611,439 9/1952 Faulkner 137/101.11

2,707,480 5/1955 Klosse 137/101.11

2,865,388 12/1958 Stembergh 137/5645 3,346,191 10/1967 Roach 239/304 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,017,786 1/1966 England 137/101.

Primary Examiner-- Laverne D. Geiger Assistant Examiner-William H. Wright AllorneyBean and Bean ABSTRACT: In vehicle-washing equipment having an expansion accumulator tank adapted to receive liquid additive and fluid flow means operable during successive wash and rinse cycles of the equipment to expel additive under pressure from the tank into the stream of water.

wan R mngv VEHICLE WASHING EQUIPMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years fully automatic vehicle-washing equipment has come into wide commercial use. However, due to the complexity of such equipment it has for the most part been required to be housed in a separate building specifically devoted to the use of this equipment.

Recently, there have been attempts to devise less complex and inexpensive washing equipment, which permits a vehicle owner or an attendant to manually wash a vehicle by the manipulation of high-pressure hand manipulated washing and rinsing implements. However, while the manual equipment presently in use does substantially reduce installation costs, it has also been found to require its own building structure, due to the complexity of its water pumping and additive handling equipment.

Thus, a drawback of commercially available vehicle washing equipment of which I am aware is its inability to be used at locations such as local garages, which do not have available spaced for a separate building and because of the relatively low volume of their business, cannot justify the expenditure necessary for presentlyavailable equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is primarily directed to the provision of vehicle washing equipment which is in the form of a compact, portable and inexpensive unit susceptible of use in local garages and/or other establishments where space or economic considerations do not physically permit or justify the utilization of conventional equipment housed as a stationary installation within a permanent buildin'g.

More particularly, the washing equipment of the present invention employs a single pump to provide a high-pressure stream or streams of water to be applied to a vehicle, which are extremely effective in removing road film from the vehicle surfaces being washed and may be-selectively directed by the vehicle owner or garage attendant to insure cleaning of extremely dirty or hard to get at portions of the vehicle.

Vehicle washing is rendered relatively inexpensive and noncomplex by the provision of an additive expansion accumulating tank, which, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is operated by the relatively. low pressure of a municipal water source, to affect controlled addition of additive to the stream of water, which is supplied from such source. By this arrangement, the necessity of employing a separate pumping system normally required to insure accurate addition of additive is alleviated.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention the complexity of additive handling equipment employed in existing stationary vehicle-washing equipment may be reduced by utilizing wash water passing from a conventional high-pressure pump to a pointzof vehicle application to control additive addition to wash water.

The equipment of the present invention-may be selectively employed to either wash or wax a vehicle, depending on the composition of the additive employed.

THE DRAWINGS The nature and mode of operation of the vehicle washing equipment of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the portable-vehiclewashing equipment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of-thefluid flow circuit em-. ployed in the practice of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic viewuillustrating the. electrical circuit employed in the practice of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view. showing a manually operated additive flow-throttling valve and accompanying additive inlet into the flow conduit of water to be applied to a vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the simplified fluid flow circuit of the type illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a fluid flow circuit employed in an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a simplified fluid flow circuit of the type shown in FIG. 6.

For purposes of illustration, the equipment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as being in the form of a compact unit I, which generally includes a suitable supporting metal framework 2, made readily portable by the provision of a plurality of wheels 3. If desired, framework 2 may be partially or completely enclosed by one or more hinged ,or otherwise mounted side panels 4, which may be readily removed or apertured to afford access for adjusting positions of the equipment.

Unit 1 is made independent of any stationary installation, except for a suitable source of water under pressure and a source of electricity. The water source may, if desired, be available municipal water, as for instance under a pressure of between 40 and 60 p.s.i., to which the unit may be suitably connected by a flexible hose 5, as at flow connection 6 carried on unit water inlet pipe 7. A suitable, manually operated shutoff valve 8, shown only in FIG. 2, may be mounted on inlet pipe 7 and employed to control admission of water to the unit. Alternatively, valve 8 may be dispensed with and the valving conventionally provided with a building water source outlet employed for this purpose. Electricity for powering the control circuit of unit 1, which is housed in part within unit control box- 9 and will' hereinafter bev described in detail with reference to FIG. 3, may be obtained from either a or 220 volt building source to which the-unit may be connected by an extension cord 10'.

The unit control circuit may be operated by a suitable manually operated, plural position switch I1 having OFF, WASH (additive addition) and RINSE positions. By proper selectionof additive, the present equipment may be selectively used to either wash or wax a vehicle. However, in that its primary intended use is as vehicle-washing equipment, particularreference will be made to an additive in the form of highly concentrated liquid soap.

Again referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that unit 1 additionally includes a framework mounted reservoir 12 adapted toreceive a supply of liquid soap; an expansion accumulator tank 13-, which is adapted during the RINSE cycle to receive soapfrom reservoir 12' and-during a subsequent WASH cycle force soapinto a stream of water to be applied to a vehicle; and a high-pressure pump 14, which is adapted to force RINSEwater or wash-water (water-soap solution) under pressure through a unit outlet conduit 15 during the respective RINSE and WASH cycles of the equipment. Preferably, unit outletconduit I5 is connected by means of a flexible hose. 16 to a rigid manually manipulated applicator handle or wand 17 having on one-end thereof a suitable washing implement, such asasoft bristle brush l8, and a pair of high-pressure jets 19.

Pump 14 may be suitably driven, such as by means of an electric motor 20-through a chain link drive 21. While various commercially available pumps. are susceptible to'use in the presentinvention'it has been'found desirable from both the standpoint of. cleaning effectiveness and water economy to employ one adapted to feed'water at the rate of about 4 galions per minute through unit outlet 15 at a pressure of between SOOand 600 psi; Itis also preferable to employ a pump incorporatinga bypass conduit22 and pressure relief valve 23 to permit the cycling of pumped water upon occurrence of "a blockage of water passing to high-pressure jets l9. Surveillance of the outlet water pressure may be maintained bymeans'of'a suitable pressure. guage 24 tapped into line 15.

In the eventthat' during operationof pump l4'there is a cessation of the flow ofwater: passing to the pump, possible damage. in the. fluid flow lines leading thereto may be eliminated by the provision of a check valve 25' adjusted-to at the pump inlet.

Reservoir 12 may be of any desired capacity. However, it has been found convenient when employing commercially available highly concentrated liquid soaps to provide a reservoir having a capacity of about 20 gallons, which permits installation of the reservoir within a relatively compact unit while permitting normal operation of at least several days without the need for refilling. Also, while reservoir 12 may be of any desired design, it is preferably provided with a concentrated soap inlet normally closed by a threaded cap closure 26, an air bleed opening 27 and a pair of bottom apertures, not shown, which are adapted to receive

conduits

28 and 29. When desired, soap solution may be drained from reservoir 12 through

conduits

29 and 30 by opening normally closed, manually manipulated valve 31. .A suitable level guage 32 tapped into pipe 30 may be employed to visually indicate the depth of soap solution within reservoir 12.

Now referring'to FIG. 2, it will be seen that expansion accumulator tank 13 includes a hollow casing 35, which is divided into equal sized lower water receiving and upper soap

solution receiving chambers

37, 38, respectively, by means of a deformable diaphragm 39. Preferably, tank 13 is provided with water and

soap solution connections

41, 42, which are provided with one or more side opening inlet-outlet apertures 43, 44 to prevent entry of diaphragm 39 into water and soap solution conduits 45, 46, respectively, when the diaphragm is deformed in the manner to be hereinafter described. The size of tank 13 may be selectively varied (depending upon the concentration of the liquid soap employed, the wash water flow rate, and the duration of the WASH cycle desired). For instance, if the wash water flow rate is 4 gallons per minute and soap solution added to the wash water at a rate of approximately 3 ounces per minute gives a desired cleaning effect, a 20 minute WASH cycle would require that soap solution chamber 38 when enlarged upon deformation of diaphragm 39, as will be described, have a capacity of at least 60 fluid ounces.

A suitable guage 48 may be provided to indicate pressure within soap solution chamber 38. Also, if desired, tank casing 35 may be wholly or partially transparent to permit an attendant to inspect the condition and operation of diaphragm 39.

Again referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that water from a municipal water source admitted to unit 1 through inlet pipe 7 may pass to the inlet of pump 14 selectively through either conduit 50 under the control of a normally closed, solenoid operated Rinse valve 51, or through

conduits

53, 54, 55, 50 under the control of a normally closed, solenoid-operated soap flow valve 56. A check valve 57 is provided in conduit 54 for the purpose hereinafter described.

Water admitted through inlet pipe 7 may also be passed to reservoir 12 for the purpose of forming with liquid soap added thereto a desired strength soap solution through

conduits

53, 59, 60 and 29 under the control of a normally open, solenoidoperated Soap Pressure valve 61, a normally closed, manually operated valve 62 and a normally open, manually operated valve 63. A check valve 64, disposed in conduit 59 prevents draining of soap solution from reservoir 12 when valves 61 63 are open through inlet pipe 7 when the latter is not connected to a source of water under pressure.

Further, water admitted through inlet pipe 7 may be admitted into water chamber 37 through

conduits

53, 59 and 45, and passed therefrom to drain through

conduits

45 and 66 under the control of a normally closed, solenoid-operated Soap Pressure Release valve 67. Check valve 68, disposed in line 59, insures direct passage of water from chamber 37 to drain, when valve 67 is open,

Again referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that soap solution may flow by gravity from reservoir 12 into soap solution chamber 38 through

conduits

29, 70 and 46 under the control of valve 63, and pass therefrom into conduit 55 through

conduits

46 and 71 under the control of manually adjustable soap solution flow throttle valve 72. Check valve 73, disposed in conduit 71, serves to prevent passage of water from conduit 55 into chamber 38, whereas check valve 74, disposed in conduit 70, serves to prevent soap solution from being forced back into reservoir 12 when water chamber 37 of accumulator tank 13 is pressurized in the manner to be described. Conduit 71 is also directly connected to reservoir 12 through conduit 28 under the control of'a normally closed, manually manipulated air bleed valve 75.

Although throttle valve 72 may be of any desired design, it is shown for purposes of reference as including a valve' casing 76 which defines a flow-restricting orifice 77, whose size is adapted to be adjustable varied by threaded adjustment valve stem 78. A soap solution directing tube 79, suitably mounted on valve casing 76 may be employed to insure mixing of the soap solution with water flowing through conduit 55.

The control circuit employed in the practice of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3 as includingplural position switch 11, which is provided with a manually movable contact arm 80 and stationary contacts 8183 representing, respectively, the WASH, OFF and RINSE positions of the switch; motor 20; solenoids 51s, 56s, 61s, 67s, adapted to operate

valves

51, 56, 61, 67, respectively; and relay 85, which is adapted to simultaneously operate normally open switches 86, 87 and normally closed switch 88.

In the OFF position of switch 11, which is illustrated in FIG. 3, motor 20 is deenergized; relay 85 is deenergized, whereby switches 86, 87 are open and switch 88 is closed; and solenoids 51s, 56s, 61s, and 67s are deenergized, whereby

valves

51, 56 and 67 are closed and valve 61 is open.

When switch 11 is moved into its WASH position, motor 20 is energized by a circuit established between control circuit terminals 90 and 91 via contact arm 80, stationary contact 81, conductor 94, motor 20 and conductor 95. Since in the WASH position of switch 11, there exists an open circuit through relay 85, switch 88 remains closed, whereby solenoid 56s is energized to open valve 56 by a circuit established between terminals 90, 91 via contact arm 80, stationary contact 81,

conductors

94, 96, solenoid 56s, conductor 97, switch 88 and

conductors

98, 95. However, solenoid 51s, 61s and 67s remain deenergized because switch 87 is open.

In the RINSE position of switch 11, relay 85 is initially energized by a circuit established between terminals 90, 91 via contact arm 80, stationary contact 83,

conductors

99, 100, relay 85 and

conductors

101, 95, whereby switches 86, 87 are closed and switch 88 is opened. Upon closing of switch 86, motor 20 is energized by a circuit established between terminals 90, 91, via contact arm 80, stationary contact 83,

conductors

99, 102, switch 86,

conductors

103, 104, 94, motor 20 and conductor 95. Also, upon closing of switches 86, 87, solenoid 51s, 61s and 67s are energized by a circuit established via contact arm 80, stationary contact 83,

conductors

99, 102, switch 86, conductor 103, switch 87, conductor branched to parallel solenoid 51s, 61s, 67s, and conductors 106, 95. Solenoid 56s is deenergized, since switch 88 is open.

Filling of reservoir 12 with soap solution prior to initiation of a vehicle-washing operation, is effected by first insuring that manually operated valves 31, 75 are closed, manually operated valves 62, 63 are open and that switch 11 is in its OFF position, whereby soap flow valve 56, Rinse valve 51 and Soap Pressure Release valve 67 are closed and Soap Pressure valve 61 is open. Initially, only air is present within

chambers

37, 38 of expansion accumulator tank 13 and in the flow conduits described. Accordingly, upon admitting water under pressure into inlet pipe 7, water will readily flow into reservoir 12 through

conduits

53, 59, 60 and 29. Preferably, closure cap 26 has previously been removed to permit both the addition of concentrated liquid soap and to facilitate the escape of air from the reservoir. However, air trapped within soap solution chamber 38 and conduits 70, 71 due to the closed condition of Soap Flow valve 56 and hand manipulation valve 75, although somewhat compressed, tends to prevent complete filling of such chamber and conduits.

Further, during filling of reservoir 12, water is prevented from flowing from inlet pipe 7 to pump 14 by the normally closed condition of Rinse valve 51 and Soap Flow valve 56 and to drain by the normally closed condition of Soap Pressure Release valve 67 and manually operated valve 31. When an attendant determines by inspection of level guage 32 that a suitable amount of water has been admitted into reservoir 12, he would perform the sequence of operations, including terminating the flow of water to reservoir 12 by closing manually operated valve 62, adding a required amount of highly concentrated liquid soap into reservoir 12, closing screw closure 26, and momentarily opening normally closed valve 75 to permit the air entrapped within soap solution chamber 38 and conduits 70, 71 to escape through conduit 28 into reservoir 12. The flow of air upwardly through reservoir 12 has been found very efi'ective in achieving the proper mixing of the water and liquid soap contained within the reservoir.

After the filling of reservoir 12 in the manner described, unit 1 may be primed for operation by moving switch 11 to its RINSE position, whereby solenoid 51s is energized to open Rinse valve 51 and permit flow of water to pump 14; solenoid 61s and 67s are energized to effect closing of Soap Pressure valve 61 and opening of Soap Pressure Release valve 67 in order to block conduit 59 and open water chamber 37 to drain; and solenoid 56s is deenergized to maintain soap valve 56 in its closed condition and block flow through conduit 55. Opening of chamber 37 to drain permits soap solution to flow by gravity and/or suction into chamber 38 from reservoir 12, whereby diaphragm 39 is deformed and chamber 38 is enlarged to almost twice its normal size. At this point, however, soap solution within conduit 71 is prevented from entering conduit 55 by the water blocked therein between closed Soap Flow valve 56 and Check valve 57. After draining of chamber 37, filling of chamber 38 with soap solution, which normally requires only 4 or 5 seconds, the unit is primed, whereafter the unit may be maintained in its primed condition by moving switch 11 into its OFF position. As noted previously, in the OFF position of switch 11, Soap Pressure valve 61 is open so as to expose diaphragm 39 to full'source pressure prior to further operation.

The throttle valve 72 may at any time be adjusted to achieve a desired soap solution flow rate.

In operation, it is only necessary for an attendant or vehicle owner who desires to wash his vehicle, to turn switch 11 from its OFF position into its WASH position and thereafter properly manipulate handle 17. During the washing cycle, water passing to pump 14 is constrained to travel through conduit 55, due to the open and closed conditions of Soap valve 56 and Rinse valve 51, respectively, at which point it is mixed with soap solution passing through throttle valve 72. Due to the open condition of Soap Pressure valve 61 and the closed condition of Soap Pressure Release valve 67 and valve 62, water passing into the unit through inlet pipe 7 is also directed into chamber 37 wherein it acts upon diaphragm 39 so as to move the diaphragm in an upward direction toward soap fitting 42, in order to force soap solution from chamber 38 into conduit 55 through throttle valve 72. It will be understood that due to the operation of pump 14, the pressure of water within conduit 55 is slightly reduced below the full source pressure to which the soap solution passing thereinto is exposed. Flow of soap solution from chamber 38 back into reservoir 12 is prevented by the presence in line 70 of check valve 74. The washing cycle may be continued until diaphragm 39 is fully formed in an upward direction and the length of such cycle may be controlled by selection of the initial volume of soap solution contained within chamber 38 and adjustment of throttle valve 72. For a relatively small vehicle, such as a car, a maximum WASH cycle of about 20 minutes has been found to be more than adequate. By employing pressure derived from a municipal water source, soap solution may be positively forced into conduit 55 without the need for the conventionally employed positive displacement metering pump or for mounting reservoir 12 at a sufficient elevation to achieve a desired hydraulic pressure head.

When the attendant or vehicle owner is satisfied that the vehicle is properly cleaned, he need only move switch 11 to its RINSE position, in order to initiate the Rinse cycle, and this may be done, if desired, prior to a time at which substantially all of the soap solution is expelled from chamber 38. Upon initiation of the Rinse cycle, solenoids 51s, 61s and 67s are energized and solenoid 56s is decnergized, whereby Soap Flow valve 56 and Soap Pressure valve 61 are closed and Rinse valve 51 and Soap Pressure Release valve 67 are opened. Accordingly, soap solution is prevented from entering the water passing to pump 14 and water chamber 37 is once again drained to pennit water soap solution to be drawn from reservoir 12 to enter chamber 38 and deform diaphragm 39 downwardly towards water connection 41.

If desired, the unit may be continuously operated on its Rinse cycle and employed to supply water under pressure for purposes other than the rinsing of a previously washed vehicle. As indicated above, the Rinse cycle of only a few seconds duration is necessary to fully charge tank 13 with soap solution and thus prime the unit for a succeeding washing cycle.

At the completion of the RINSE cycle switch 11 is returned to its OFF position to conserve water while awaiting the next washing operation and permit water passing from the source through normally open Soap Pressure valve 61 to build up full source pressure against diaphragm 39. Building up full source pressure against diaphragm 39 normally requires only a few seconds. This procedure is desired, since it has been found in some installations that turning switch 11 directly to WASH delays feeding of the soap solution.

It has been found that the soap solution feeding operation is independent of pressure variations normally occurring in a municipal water source.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified fluid flow circuit adapted for use in very low cost, low business volume, portable washing equipment. In this arrangement, reservoir 12 is dispensed with and accumulator tank 13 made sufficiently large to accommodate a volume of soap solution sufiicient to permit a desired period of operation, such as a day. Also, Soap Pressure valve 61 is dispensed with and solenoid operated Soap Pressure Release valve 67 is replaced by a manually operated Soap Pressure Release valve 67'. Solenoid operated Rinse valve 51 and Soap Flow valve 56 are retained and may be operated together with motor 20 by a simplified control circuit of the general type illustrated in FIG. 3.

A unit of the type illustrated in FIG. 5 may be primed by opening Soap Pressure Release valve 67 and filling soap solution chamber 38 through a suitable opening, which is to be thereafter closed by a screwcap or like closure 35'. Thereafter, Soap Pressure Release valve 67' is closed, and the unit pressurized with municipal source water, as by opening manually operated valve 8. When desired, a user may initiate a washing operation by turning switch 11 to its WASH position whereupon motor 20 is energized and Soap Flow valve 56 is opened. The unit may be thereafter operated in the manner described with reference to the equipment illustrated in FIG. 2 until soap solution is emptied from chamber 38. During this operation water chamber 37 is continuously under full source pressure and valve 67' remains closed.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein high-pressure water passing from a pump 14' is employed to control operation of accumulator tank 13. This arrangement differs primarily from that illustrated in FIG. 2 by the provision of a pressure reducing valve in wash water conduit 54, which serves to maintain wash water passing through

conduits

54, 55 when Soap Flow valve 56 is open at a predetennined pressure less than that of water admitted to water chamber 37. Efficient feeding of soap solution into the wash water may be effected by only a small reduction in wash water pressure, as for instance a reduction from 600 p.s.i. at the pump outlet to 550 p.s.i. at the point at which the soap solution is to be mixed with the wash water. A control circuit of a type shown in FIG. 3 may be employed to operate this arrangement in the exact manner described with reference to the equipment illustrated in FIG. 2. By admitting soap solution togthe wash water downstream of pump 14' possible damage to or fouling of the pump by soap or other additive is alleviated.

FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified version of the equipment shown in FIG. 6. In this arrangement, Rinse valve 67 and Soap Flow valve 56 are dispensed with and both the Wash and Rinse water passed directly from pump 14' to outlet conduit through conduit 54 and Pressure Reducing valve 120. Further, in this arrangement, reservoir 12 is dispensed with, accumulator tank 13 is adapted to accommodate a volume of soap solution sufficient to permit a desired period of operation and solenoid operated Soap Pressure Release valve 67 is replaced by manually operated valve 67' for the purpose discussed with reference to the equipment illustrated in FIG. 5.

A unit of the type illustrated in FIG. 7 may be primed by opening Soap Pressure Release valve 67 and filling Soap solution chamber 38 through a suitable opening which is normally closed by screwcap closure 35'. Thereafter, Soap Pressure Release valve 67 is closed and the unit pressurized by opening valve 8 and energizing motor 20. A suitable electric control circuit may be employed to open or close Soap Pressure valve 61 so that soap solution may be injected into water passing through outlet conduit 15 when desired. During operation of this unit valve 67 remains closed and water chamber 37 is periodically coupled directly to the outlet of pump M by alternately opening and closing Soap Pressure valve-61. As in the case of equipment illustrated in FIG. 6, efficient feeding of soap solution into the water may be effective by only a small reduction in pressure of the water passing through valve 120.

If desired, manually operated soap solution throttle valve 72 may be replaced by a constant diameter soap injection nozzle or orifice.

In each of the variations illustrated in FIGS. 57 the soap solution feeding operation is, for practical purposes, independent of water pressure variations occurring in the equipment. While there has been described in detail, a preferred embodiment of the present invention, various modifications thereof will likely occur to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, I wish to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, wherein:

I claim: 1. In vehicle-washing equipment the combination which comprises:

first conduit means for passing water from a source of water under pressure to a point at which water may be applied to a vehicle, said first conduit means including pump means adapted to substantially increase said source pressure prior to said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle; means defining an additive receiving chamber including a wall portion movable to vary the size of said chamber;

second conduit means connection said chamber to said first conduit means for introducing additive into water passing from said source at a point upstream of said pump at which said source pressure of said water is reduced by operation of said pump; and

means operable to selectively divert water under said source pressure from said first conduit means into operative association with said movable wall portion, whereby said chamber is reduced in size and said additive is forced therefrom into said first conduit means at said point of reduced pressure.

2. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 1, wherein said first conduit means is branched intermediate a point at which it is connectable to said source and said pump to define wash water and rinse water conduits, said point at which said additive is forced into said first conduit means being disposed in said wash water conduit, said wash water conduit having normally closed solenoid operable additive valve means disposed downstream of the last said point, and said rinse water conduit having normally closed solenoid operable rinse valve means, and there is further provided electrical control means for energizing said valve means and said pump means, such that when said pump means is energized said additive and rinse valve means are alternatively energized to permit passage of additive containing and nonadditive containing water to said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle.

3. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 1, wherein said equipment further includes solenoid-operated additive valve means; solenoid-operated rinse valve means; and electrical control means for energizing said valve means and said pump means, whereby when said pump means is energized said additive and rinse valve means are alternatively energized to permit passage of additive containing and nonadditive containing water to said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle.

4. In vehicle-washing equipment, the combination which comprises:

first conduit means adapted to pass water under pressure from a source to a point at which such water may be applied to a vehicle;

a reservoir for storing a supply of additive to be added to said water;

means defining a pair of adjacently disposed chambers whose volumes vary inversely in accordance with the movement of said wall portion disposed therebetween, one of said pair of chambers being an additive receiving chamber and another of said pair of chambers being a water-receiving chamber;

means operable to draw additive from said reservoir into said additive receiving chamber and subsequently force additive under pressure from sad additive receiving chamber into said first conduit means, said operable means including second conduit means connecting said additive receiving chamber to said first conduit means, third conduit means connecting said reservoir to said additive receiving chamber, fourth conduit means connecting said water-receiving chamber to said first conduit means, fifth conduit means connecting said water-receiving chamber to drain, and valve means operable to connect said water chamber alternatively to said first conduit means and drain, said valve means including pressure valve means disposed in said fourth conduit means and pressure release valve means disposed in said fifth conduit means, said first conduit means being branched intermediate said source and said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle to define wash water and rinse water conduits, said wash water conduits having additive valve means, said rinse water conduit having rinse valve means, said second conduit means being connected into said wash water conduit upstream of said additive valve means, said fourth conduit means being connected into said first conduit means upstream of said additive valve means and said rinse valve means and said point at which said second conduit means is connected into said wash water conduit; and

control means, said control means being adapted to control operation of said additive, said rinse, said pressure and said pressure release valve means such that additive containing water may be passed via said wash water conduit to said point at which it may be applied to a vehicle when said additive and pressure valve means are open and said rinse and pressure release valve means are closed, and nonadditive containing water may be passed via said rinse water conduit to said point at which it may be applied to a vehicle and water passed to drain from said water chamber to draw additive from said reservoir when said rinse and pressure release valve means are open and said additive and pressure valves are closed.

5. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 4, wherein said first conduit means is connected to a source of water under pressure and includes pump means disposed downstream of said additive and rinse valve means and serving to substantially increase said source pressure.

6. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 5, wherein said additive, sad rinse and said pressure release valve means are solenoid-operated valves normally closed when deenergized, said pressure valve means is a solenoid-operated valve normally open when deenergized, and said control means is an electrical control circuit including a three position switch having OFF, ADDlTlVE and RINSE positions, said pump and said valve means being deenergized when said switch is in said OFF position, said pump means and said additive valve means being energized when said switch is in said ADDlTlVE position, and said pump means and said rinse, pressure and pressure release valve means being energized when said switch is in said RINSE position.

7. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 4, wherein said first conduit means includes pump means and pressure reducing means, said pump means being disposed upstream of said wash water and rinse water conduits and the point at which said fourth conduit means is connected into said first conduit means, and said pressure-reducing means is disposed within said wash water conduit upstream of the point at which said second conduit means is connected thereinto.

8. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 7, wherein said additive, said rinse and said pressure release valve means are solenoid-operated valves normally closed when deenergized, said pressure valve means is a solenoidoperated valve normally open when deenergized, and said control means is an electrical control circuit including a threeposition switch having OFF, ADDITlVE and RINSE positions, said pump and said valve means being deenergized when said switch is in said OFF position, said pump means and said additive valve means being energized when said switch is in said ADDlTlVE position, and said pump means and said rinse, pressure and pressure release valve means being energized when said switch is in said RINSE position.

9. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 4, wherein said wash water conduit is provided with a check valve upstream of the point at which said second conduit means is connected thereinto to prevent flow of additive upstream within said wash water conduit and there is additionally provided sixth conduit means connecting said reservoir into said fourth conduit means including normally closed first valve means, said normally closed first valve means being adapted to be opened such that said switch is in said OFF position water from said source may be admitted into said reservoir and said reservoir having a closable opening through which additive may be admitted therein for mixing with water admitted as aforesaid.

Claims

1. In vehicle-washing equipment the combination which comprises: first conduit means for passing water from a source of water under pressure to a point at which water may be applied to a vehicle, said first conduit means including pump means adapted to substantially increase said source pressure prior to said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle; means defining an additive receiving chamber including a wall portion movable to vary the size of said chamber; second conduit means connection said chamber to said first conduit means for introducing additive into water passing from said source at a point upstream of said pump at which said source pressure of said water is reduced by operation of said pump; and means operable to selectively divert water under said source pressure from said first conduit means into operative association with said movable wall portion, whereby said chamber is reduced in size and said additive is forced therefrom into said first conduit means at said point of reduced pressure.

4. In vehicle-washing equipment, the combination which comprises: first conduit means adapted to pass water under pressure from a source to a point at which such water may be applied to a vehicle; a reservoir for storing a supply of additive to be added to said water; means defining a pair of adjacently disposed chambers whose volumes vary inversely in accordance with the movement of said wall portion disposed therebetween, one of said pair of chambers being an additive receiving chamber and another of said pair of chambers being a water-receiving chamber; means operable to draw additive from said reservoir into said additive receiving chamber and subsequently force additive under pressure from sad additive receiving chamber into said first conduit means, said operable means including second conduit mEans connecting said additive receiving chamber to said first conduit means, third conduit means connecting said reservoir to said additive receiving chamber, fourth conduit means connecting said water-receiving chamber to said first conduit means, fifth conduit means connecting said water-receiving chamber to drain, and valve means operable to connect said water chamber alternatively to said first conduit means and drain, said valve means including pressure valve means disposed in said fourth conduit means and pressure release valve means disposed in said fifth conduit means, said first conduit means being branched intermediate said source and said point at which water may be applied to a vehicle to define wash water and rinse water conduits, said wash water conduits having additive valve means, said rinse water conduit having rinse valve means, said second conduit means being connected into said wash water conduit upstream of said additive valve means, said fourth conduit means being connected into said first conduit means upstream of said additive valve means and said rinse valve means and said point at which said second conduit means is connected into said wash water conduit; and control means, said control means being adapted to control operation of said additive, said rinse, said pressure and said pressure release valve means such that additive containing water may be passed via said wash water conduit to said point at which it may be applied to a vehicle when said additive and pressure valve means are open and said rinse and pressure release valve means are closed, and nonadditive containing water may be passed via said rinse water conduit to said point at which it may be applied to a vehicle and water passed to drain from said water chamber to draw additive from said reservoir when said rinse and pressure release valve means are open and said additive and pressure valves are closed.

6. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 5, wherein said additive, sad rinse and said pressure release valve means are solenoid-operated valves normally closed when deenergized, said pressure valve means is a solenoid-operated valve normally open when deenergized, and said control means is an electrical control circuit including a three position switch having OFF, ADDITIVE and RINSE positions, said pump and said valve means being deenergized when said switch is in said OFF position, said pump means and said additive valve means being energized when said switch is in said ADDITIVE position, and said pump means and said rinse, pressure and pressure release valve means being energized when said switch is in said RINSE position.

8. Vehicle-washing equipment according to claim 7, wherein said additive, said rinse and said pressure release valve means are solenoid-operated valves normally closed when deenergized, said pressure valve means is a solenoid-operated valve normally open when deenergized, and said control means is an electrical control circuit including a three-position switch having OFF, ADDITIVE and RINSE positions, said pump and said valve means being deenergized when said switch is in said OFF position, said pump means and said additive valve means being energized when said switch is in said ADDITIVE posItion, and said pump means and said rinse, pressure and pressure release valve means being energized when said switch is in said RINSE position.