An Apparatus and Method for Washing Vehicles

摘要

1,177,116. Washing vehicles. BOEWE BOEHLER & WEBER K.G. MASCHENENFABRIK. 23 Nov., 1967 [2.Dec., 1966; 26 July, 1967], No.53298/67. Heading B7J. Vehicle washing apparatus comprises at least one horizontal (or vertical) rotating brush 1 carried by a pair of brush arms 3 pivoted at 5 to a pair of main arms 6 pivoted to the ground (or wall or ceiling), the brush 1 being moved from an initial position by engagement by a vehicle moving through the apparatus so as. to clean the front and then the top (or side) of the vehicle as the arms 3 pivot upwards and the arms 6 are held in one limit position by a thrustor, and then the arms 6 are pivoted by the thrustor downwards into the other limit position in which a stop prevents pivoting of the arms 3 relative to the arms 6 whereby the brush washes the rear of the vehicle, the thrustor being controlled by the position of both pairs of arms 3, 6 relative to each other and/or by the position of the vehicle. In an embodiment, Fig. 10, the brush motor is energized by the vehicle engaging a feeler, and the arms 3 during their initial upward rotation contact a switch which actuates a pneumatic thrustor 18, 181 to pivot the arms 6 downwards until stop 38 engages a rod 30, 29 pivoted at 28 to the stand 39. As the brush 1 clears the rear of the vehicle, the portion 31 of the arms 3 abuts by stop 311 against the rod 30, 29, and a further contact 341 is actuated which reverses the thrustor 18, 181 so that the arms swing together upwards to wash the vehicle rear again. The stop 311 finally clears the rod 30, 29 and swings downwards. The arms may be made to swing together by means of an electromagnetic stop on the arms 6 operable to engage the stop 31. In other embodiments involving vertical brushes, the arms are spring or gravity biased relative to each other, and the stop 31 causing the the arms to swing together is either electromagnetic or involves parallel rods. A further brush may be provided on the end 5 of the arms 3.