Sherman Industries, Inc.

Carl C Beer

Sherman L Larson

Ronald E Steffey

Anthony J Tomasello

Daniel DelPrato

Ray Hoy

Robert A Seng

C Lee Hewitt

A guide rail apparatus to be used within an automatic car wash including two parallel rails for directing the travel of the car tires along the conveyor within the car wash. The gap between the rails is expandable for accepting a range of wide and narrow tires as found on various cars. At least one of the two rails includes a series of rigid tubular rail portions which are attached to a biasing apparatus. The biasing apparatus may include a pivot which is supported with respect to a fixed surface by an elastomer material. The portions of the pivoting rail are connected by a flexible member so as to form a continuous rail length and to permit pivoting of one portion of the rail while an adjacent portion along the length remains in its normal inwardly biased position. The biasing apparatus may also include a projecting rod that pivotally supports the ends of the tubular rail positions. The inward bias of the rail of the present invention towards the gap positions a relatively smaller tire in contact with the pusher roller portion of the car wash conveyor and prevents the tire from turning sideways and running out of the conveyor track.

Expandable guide rail for an automatic car wash conveyor

A fluid distribution apparatus is provided which includes a sensor for developing control signals representative of the profile of a vehicle to be cleaned and a tube for distributing fluid. The tube is movable horizontally in directions parallel to the path of a vehicle being cleaned and vertically toward and away from the path of the vehicle. Movements of the tube are controlled to position the tube in front of the vehicle and move the tube in the direction of movement of the vehicle and to position the tube above the vehicle and move the tube in a direction opposite that of the vehicle and simultaneously move the tube vertically to follow the profile of the vehicle. The tube is also positioned behind the vehicle and moved in the direction of the vehicle after the profiling. Oscillatory movement of the tube about a plurality of angular positions is also provided.

Vehicle cleaning system and method

Vehicle washing apparatus positioned above or at the side of the path followed by a vehicle to be washed. For side washing apparatus, pairs of spaced nozzles are reciprocated in a vertical plane to provide vertical coverage. The nozzles of a pair are angled toward each other, so that one nozzle sprays the front of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches, both nozzles spray the side of the vehicle as the vehicle passes, and the other nozzle sprays the rear of the vehicle as it departs. For top washing apparatus, the pairs of spaced nozzles are reciprocated in a horizontal plane to provide horizontal coverage. The angle nozzles contribute to the washing of the front and rear of a vehicle in addition to washing the top surfaces.

Vehicle reciprocating spray washing apparatus

A scrubbing apparatus for automobiles and other vehicles has three baskets of scrubbing curtains arranged in generally side-by-side relation transverse to the passageway through which the vehicle moves. The width of the curtains of the inner basket is preferably twice the width of each of the outer baskets. The curtain baskets are driven in an oscillatory manner by a single motor having two crank arms and connecting linkages so arranged that the oscillations of the outer baskets are in phase with each other but are out of phase with the oscillations of the inner basket. The preferred out-of-phase relationship between the innerand outer baskets is 90.degree.. In a preferred arrangement, the baskets are driven by reciprocating rods connected to the baskets at a point below the overhead pivot points of the baskets.

Scrubbing apparatus for vehicles

A brush having a circular disk with a plurality of slots adjacent the edge of the disk. The slots are elongated and arranged at spaced locations around the circumference of the disk. The disk has brush elements made up of individual elongated cloth strips secured to the disk by the circumferential slots. A central opening couples the disk to a drive shaft for rotation of the disk.

Disk type brush

A rotatable cloth scrubbing rush for cleaning the exterior of a vehicle comprises a rotatable shaft or hub, a plurality of cloth wiping members for contacting the surface to be cleaned, and means for limiting the penetration of the portion of the vehicle being cleaned with the brush. One such means for limiting penetration of the portion of the vehicle being cleaned comprises a disk wheel of a predetermined diameter mounted around said shaft or hub and interposed between said cloth wiping members. Another means for limiting penetration comprises sets of bristles connected at one end to said shaft or hub and interleaved between rows of cloth wiping members.

Vehicle cleaning brush having limited penetration

An endless conveyor type chamois-like curtain drier for vehicles wherein a plurality of spaced drying curtains hang down into the frontal path of a vehicle and are pulled over the vehicle surfaces by the lower run of the conveyor to wipe the moisture therefrom. The curtains are returned in overlapping relationship by the upper run to the point of beginning after removing moisture therefrom by wringer roll or vacuum. An accelerator means in the form of a rotatable paddle wheel intercepts each of the curtains adjacent the head end of the conveyor to speed up the linear movement of the curtains and lift the individual curtains free of their laminated relationship and over and around the conveyor end returning the curtains to the beginning of the lower run in a freely hangable condition. The drier conveyor preferably includes a lateral run connecting the upper and lower runs of the conveyor which lateral run slopes obliquely inwardly and downwardly at an acute angle relative to the vertical and in the direction of movement of the lower run and away from the head end of the conveyor providing a vertical space in which the curtains may obtain their full free-hanging vertical position before entering the lower run. A side by side arrangement of two similar units with conveyors moving the lower runs in opposite directions provides a novel cross vehicle drying operation.

Growing community of inventors

Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Carl C Beer