Field of the invention

The invention in general relates to a fully automatic vehicle exterior contour cleaning apparatus and in particular tomobile designer machines adapted for receiving — pressurized water to washstationary automobiles and other vehicles, by subjecting the entire exterior body surfaces of the vehicle to controlled sprays of water.

Background of the invention

Car wash machines are known in various forms and various degrees of automation. The most básic form of car wash is the. seíf-sérvicé ppen bay car wash. These types of washes can include a pressure sprayer and optionally a foaming brush or similar device connected to a large central pump. Another form of car wash is called an exterior rollover wash, which allows the user to drive his or hér vehicle into the wash bay up to a stopping point. Once stopped, different washing éléments are app.lied as car-wash equipment moves over and around the vehicle on a track.

Still another form of car wash is the "exterior only" car wash, which operates using a conveyor belt to pulí one or more front tires through the. bay. The car is pulled past several pieces of equipment in assembly line type fashion, with each piece of equipment having a specific purpose. A "full servíce" car wash is often considered to be an "exterior only" car wash with additional personal services, such as hand drying, wheel cleaning, interior vacuuming and the like. Exterior only and full service car wash machines are expensive to build and maintain.

Automated equipment for washing automobiles has been made in two general types. Firstly, are the tunnel car washers, wherein the washing equipment is essentially stationary and the automobile is drawn through the equipment by a conveyor built into the floor. Such a tunnel car wash has numerous nozzles spraying water and cleaner onto the car passing through, side brushes for cleaning the sides of the automobile and wheels, top brushes or stripped curtains cleaning the hood and top of the automobile passing through, rinse water nozzles and air jets for drying the automobile.

The other type of car wash assumes that an automobile is driven into a certain location and then parked. The automatic washing equipment, sometimes known as a roll over car washer, then moves.on ...tracks on.the floor, and along and over the automobile. In the past, such equipment has used rotary side brushes for washing the. sides of the car, and movable on loríg árms for traversing the.ends of the automobile as well. Rotary brushes move over the hood, and top and trunk lid of the automobile, and move up and down as the car washer passes along the automobile. The top brush and the side brushes have been of plástic bristlé.type material, which scrub as they revolve against the surfaces of the automobile. Such plástic bristles are stiff, smooth surfaced strands with a-length often in the range of 12 to 18 inches. These brushes are sufficiently stiff as to be self-s.uppprting while protruding substantially radially from the mounting~axle withoufsigfriffcant ttexing. These types of roll over car washers using plástic bristie brushes are rather hard on"the finish or paint of the automobile body because of the stiffness of the bristles and also because often these car washers are used without any soap in the water, and this produces some scratching of the paint or surface finish. In addition, even though soap is used, the plástic bristles rapidly shed the liquid because the bristles whirl around at a high rate of speed and throw off any liquid that may temporarily be sprayed onto such bristles.

Heretofore, the vehicle washing machines most commonly used in automobile laundries have been either tunnel-type machines in which the vehicle is moved bodily through a tunnel past a series of stationary spray nozzles therein, or carriage-type machines in which an arch-shaped nozzle carrier, which is mounted on wheeled carriages, transversely spans the car and is trundled back and forth over the stationary vehicle.

Neither of these types of machines is capable of utilizing the futí velocity of the cleansing stream or. spray to full advantage, since such structures are inherently incapable of subjecting the car surfaces to uniform optimum steam forcé at the most effective angles of impingement. In both the tunnel and carriage type machines, the spray dispensing nozzles. are fixed. on the framework of the apparatus and are. positioned to direct a spray curtain in a constant plañe, which is usually vertical. Consequently, as the vehicle is moved through the machine, oí" as the machine is moved over the vehicle, the distance between the various contóurs of the car surface and the spray nozzles changes substantially, with the result that the forcé of the spray striking the car surfaces cíosest to the nozzles is.much greater than the forcé óf the spray which falls on more distant portions.of the car. Henee, whilethe top of the vehicle. cab.receives a spray of adequate velocity, other parts of the car such as the grill and the trunk, receive only a gentle shower of insufficient forcé to remove firmly adhering road grime and-Gaked-mud.-Moreover,-since the spray eurtains aré fixed. as.to direction, the angle at which the liquid impinges upon- the car surface vahes in accordance with the angle or curvature of the car surface presented to the sprays. Conséquéhtiy, in the car automobiles, the water emerging from the plurality of nozzles is thus caused to impinge upon the various body surface contóurs at substantially right angles thereto resulting in non-efficient washing.

Thus the present invention provides a mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus and methocl for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehides through high pressure spray operation to overeóme the drawbacks of the prior art inventions.

Summary of the Invention
A mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation corrrprises an inverted U shaped frame structure fixedly supporting the water conducting pipes along the length of the said frame wherein the said frame further comprises spaced apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit movable along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle. These dual vertical and horizontal frame conduits are supported by a plurality of horizontal base members which further comprises movable wheels connecting the said base member to the ground and for generating the requisite motion of the apparatus.

The apparatus further comprises a drive control attached to the said wheels of the said base member for guiding and cpntrolling the movement of the said apparatus along the length of the said four wheeled véhícle, water conducting hose pipe fixedly attached to the said mobile frame for conveying the requisite water fróm the overhead tánk to the said hollow cylindrical.conduit, water inlet control means positioned.at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit wherein the ..said.water conducting hose pipe is fused with the said hollow conduit further comprising a. flow, pressure and velocity regulator for the water inlet through the said water conducting pipes and. a plurality of water outlet means positioned at pre-dete.rmined interval on the said dual vertical and the top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit for out-letting the water in the requisite direction, angle and mode necessary for the complete outer contour cleaning of the said vehicle.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that automatically moves over and along the length of the four wheeled vehicle injecting a spray of water for its cleaning.

It is another object of the present invention to design the frame and the inner diameter of the spaced apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit for conveying and out-lettihg the water at desíred speeds.

It is one another object of the present invention to provide a base member for supporting the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit and for automatically moving along the length of the vehicle to be cleaned.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a drive control circuitry for controlling the automatic motion of the said wheels in the said base member and the . corresponding movement óf the apparatus in thé linear.direction.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a motor for directing and controlling the flow of thé water from the overhead tank to thé said hollow cylindrical framé conduit through an hose pipe fixedly attached to the. said frame.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pressure gauge for constantly jnan¡tojing_arid_adjust¡ng the pressure of the water inlet into the said spaced : apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical pipe conduit.

It is a final object of the present invention to provide plurality of water out-let means spaced equi-distant to each other on the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical pipe conduit for pressurized spraying of the water at pre-determined angles on the exterior contour of the vehicle.

Statement of the Invention

A mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation comprises

i) An inverted U shaped frame structure fixedly supporting the water conducting pipes along the length of the said frame wherein the said frame further comprises spaced apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit movable along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle.

ii) A plurality of horizontal base members supporting the said dual vertical frame conduits further comprises movable wheels connecting the said base member to the ground and for generating the requisite motion of the apparatus.

iii) A drive control attached to the said wheels of the said base member for guiding and controlling the movement of the said apparatus along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle.

iv) Water conducting hose pipe fixedly attached to the said mobile frame for "convéying the reqúísité water, fróm the. overhéád tank to the. said hollow cylindrical conduit.

v) Water inlet control means positioned at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical. conduit wherein the said water conducting hose pipe is: fused with the said hollow. conduit.further comprising a flow, pressure and velocity regulator for the water inlet through the said water conducting pipes, vi) A plurality of water outlet means positioned at pre-determined interval on the -sai.d_d.uaL vertical and the top horizontal'hollow. cylindrical conduit for oüt- letting the water in the requisite direction, angle and mode necessary for the . complete outer contour cleaning of the said vehicle.

A method for cleaning the outer contour of the vehicle through an apparatus as claimed in preceding claims comprises the steps of

i) Transferring the water from the overhead tank to the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame through the hose pipe fixedly interconnected till the water inlet.

ii) Controlling the pressure and volume of the in-let water through the said motor and pressure gauge positioned at the water inlet means.

iii) Out-letting the cohtrolled pressure water through the plurality of water out-let means positioned at equi-distance on the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame guiding the out-let water along the length and width of the vehícle.

iv) Gradually activating the said drive system for enabling the linear motion of the said frame along the length of the said vehicle to be cleaned.

v) Enabling the automatic movement of the wheels attached to the base member and correspondingly providing the forward and reverse motion to the said apparatus.

vi) Guiding the out-let water through the plurality of spray nozzles attached to the . water out-let means on the entire contour of the stationary vehicle to be cleaned.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig.1 illustrátes the pictorial view of the working model of the said apparatus. :

Fig. 2(a) - 2(b) illustrátes the schématic drawing and pictorial répresentation of the inverted Ü shaped frame.:structure. - . \ ■ • • .,

_Fig^_3(a_)_-\3.(b) illustrátes the pictorial répresentation. of the basé unit. along with the wheels and the interconnected drive system.

Fig. 4.illustrátes the.design layq.ut of the drive system shown in fig. 3

Fig.5 illustrátes the design layout of the reciprocating pistón pump and the AC motor controlling the flow of the pressurized water inlet into the frame conduits.

Detailed description of the Drawings

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of.the present invention will be described in detail with réference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig.1 illustrates the pictorial view of the working model of the said apparatus.The mcbile and. automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as illustrated in fig. 1 cómprises an inverted U shaped framé structure fixédly suppbrtingi thé water cónducting pipes along the length of the said frame wherein thé said frame is composed of spaced apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal-hollow cylindrical conduit movable along the length of the said fóur wheeled vehicle. The space bétween the said vertical hollow cylindrical conduit is suffici.ent enough for the apparatus to move around adapted and to transversely span the vehicle to be washed on all the contour of the vehicle. The frame of this machine cómprises tubular cylindrical conduits of inverted -U-shaped configuration which is suitablyjdimensioned to easily accommodate standard automobiles and small-trucks. The bends of the inverted U shaped frame conduit is singuíarly bent at the extreme ends for maintaining the uniform pressure of the water flowing inside the said hollow vertical and horizontal cylindrical conduits forming the frame structure.

The arch-shaped frame not only serves to structurally reinforce and stabilize the apparatus against torsional forces established during the back and forth movement of the apparatus but also provides a reservoir for a quantity of water in let from the overhead tank through the hose pipe fixedly attached to the said frame structure. The frame comprising thé dual vertical side frames which are supported on a horizontally disposed roof frame. The frames are hollow structural steel comporients, fabricated ¡na well known manner and connected by conventional welding techniques facilitating the flow of water through them.

The said frames are designed with a plurality of water outlet means positioned at pre-determined interval oh the said dual vertical and the top horizontal hollow cylindrical. conduit for out-letting the water in the requisite direction, angle and mode necessary for the complete outer contour cleaning of the said vehicle. These nozzle type water out-let means aré angled at desired positions for directing the water at the required pressure onto the different contours of the vehicle in a spray fashion. Nozzles are provided" all álóñg the length of the vertical,and horizontal frarrie conduits to assist in targeted reléase of the water. The water delivery system ¡s under high-pressure and the nozzles can also be provided at the upper portion of the frame and aimed downwardly toward the vehicle being cleaned.

In oné embodíment of the invention, the water delivery systems are applíed at ñPQLOxtmáiely forty-five degree (45°) angles to the:.surface oí the vehicle tó ninety' degree (90°) angles for enhancing the car wash machines. The substantially forty-five to ninety degree angle ensures better covérage of the water into various nooks and crannies alongside the vehicle. Álso, high pressure water applied at roughly forty-five to. ninety degrees helps to lift dirt from the vehicle surface and pushes all water and dirt in one direction to assist with vehicle cleaning, as in power washing a surface, for example. This angling of the water delivery systems and nozzles can be seen in figs. 1 and 2(a) - 2(b). If the nozzles were angled at ninety degrees, then the nozzles from the left arm would be pointing directly toward the nozzles from the right arm.

As illustrated in fig. 2, the frame comprising the dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit movable along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle has an angled bend at both the extreme ends for facilitating the seamless flow of water inside the said frame to be dispersed at various angles on the vehicle. The frame structure is made of rust proof metáis and has the hose pipe fixedly attached onto its surface till the water in-let means positioned at the center of the said horizontal frame member. Further the water out-let nozzles provisioned on the angled bends assists in the efficient spray of the pressurized water on the generally unreachable contours of the vehicle. . The frame.is selected considering safety parameters and structural stability and the forcé it must withstand. The diameter of the hollow frame pipes is designed by W'he're; ; .

d = inside diameter of the pipe in mrn

Q = water flow r'ate in m3/hr ••••-.

V-S = specific volume of water inm3/kg-

V = velocity of. water in.m/s ....

The volume flow rate of water fróm measurement is found to be 50 Ipm = 3 m3/hr

The specific volume of water is equal to reciprocal of its density.

Henee, VS=0.001 m3/kg

Taking the velocity inside the frame to be around 5m/s for safety purposes we . get

Taking into consideraron the availability of material in the market and also considering the safety conditions for bending operationsSS304 pipe of inner diameter. 46mm and thickness 2 mm and outer diameter 50 mm is selected for the efficient operation of the apparatus.

Fig. 3(a) - 3(b) illustrates the pictorial representaron of the base unit along with the wheeis and the interconnected drive system.A plurality of horizontal base members support the. said dual vertical frame conduits and the base members further compriseat least four movable wheeis on each base member connecting the said base member to - the grbund and for genérating the requisite móvémént and motion-to thé apparatus.The said drive control attached to the said wheeis of the said base member comprises a plurality of motors driven by the relay circuits connected to the timer circuit and the power supply for driving the wheeis of the basé member and the corresponding dual vertical, and an.inter connected top horizontal hollow conduit along the length of the said vehicle as illustrated in fig.4.The drive control attached to the said wheeis of the said _ base member guides and controls the movement of the said apparatus along the length_ of-the-said four whéeled vehiclé.

In order to facilítate movement of the washíng apparatus from place to.place-about the vehicle and to provide convenient means for moving the apparatus in position over the vehicle the -bases may be equipped with at least 4 rollers or wheeis on each base member. The automatic motion of the said wheeis on the said base members is controlled by the drive mechanism as illustrated in fig.4. The said drive mechanism comprises of a plurality of motors driven by the relay circuits connected to the timer circuit and the power supply for driving the wheeis of the base member and the corresponding dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow conduit along the length óf the said vehicle.

A first relay switch switches an electric contact between the timer and the first motor and a second relay switch switches the electric contact between the timer and the second motor.When it is required to drive the motors, the first and second relay switches connects the 24 V DC power supply and the motors such that the electric current generated by the generator is.supplied to the motors.The first predetermined voltage is a mínimum of voltage required for driving the base wheels which is provided to the apparatus.When four-wheel drive is required, the controller controls the first and second relay switches to be on and accordingly, the motorsare electrically connected to the power supply such that electric power from the battery is supplied tp the motors.

Fig.5 ¡Ilústrales the design layout of the reciprocating pistón pump and the AO motor controlling the flow of the pressurized water inlet into the frame conduits.A 2 HP and 1 watt AC motor drives the water from the said overhead tank tó the inlet positioned at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical frame conduit through a 3 pistón reciprocating pump.The pressure of the water inlet into the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame is controlled by a pressure gauge positioned-at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit wh-ere the said hose pipe is füsed with the said hollow frame structure.

Water conducting hose pipe is fixedly attached to the said mobile frame for conveying the requisite water from the overhead tank to the said hollow cylindrical conduit and the water inlet control means positioned at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit wherein the said water conducting hose pipe is fused with the said hollow conduit further comprises a flow, pressure and velocity regulator for the water inlet through the said water conducting pipes.

A method for cleaning the outer contour of the vehicle through an apparatus as illustrated in figs. 1 to 5 comprises the steps of transferring the water from the overhead tank to the said dual vertical and an inter connected top. horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame through the hose pipe fixedly interconnected till the water inlet, controlling the pressure and volume of the in-let water through the said motor and pressure gauge positioned at the water inlet means, out-letting the controlled pressure water through the plurality of water out-let means positioned at equi-distance on the said dual vertical and an Ínter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame guiding the out-let water along the length and width of the vehicle, gradually activating the said drive system for enabling the linear motion of the said frame along the length of the said vehicle to be cleaned, enabling the automatic movement of the wheels attached to the base member and correspondingly providing the forward and reverse motion to the-said appáratüs áhd güidiñg the out-let water through the plurality of spray nozzles attached''.-. to the water out-let means on the entire contour of the statíonary vehicle to be cleaned.

It will be. obvious to a person skilled in the art. that with the advance of techn.ology, the basic idea of the invention can be implemented in a plurality of _ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not restric.ted to the above examples but .may vary within the scope of the claims. ..

Further the above-described embodiments of the present invention are ¡ntended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.

1) A mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus. for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation comprises

i) An inverted U shaped frame structure fixedly supporting the water conducting pipes along the length of the said frame wherein the said frame further comprises spaced apart dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit movable along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle. —'

¡i) A plurality of horizontal base members supporting the said dual vertical frame. conduits further comprises movable wheels connecting the said base member to the ground and for generating the requisite motion of the apparatusr

. iii) A. drive control attached to the said wheels of the said base member for guiding and controlling the movement of the said apparatus along the length of the said four wheeled vehicle. .

iv) Water conducting hose pipe fixedly attached to the said mobile frame for conveying the requisite water from the overhead tank to the said hollow .. cylindrical conduit..

v) Water inlet control means positioned at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit wherein the said water conducting hose pipe is fused with the said hollow conduit further comprising a flow, pressure and velocity regulator for the water inlet through the said water conducting pipes.

vi) A plurality of water outlet means positioned at pre-determined interval on the said dual vertical and the top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit for out-letting the water in the requisite direction, angle and mode necessary for the complete outer contour cleaning of the said vehicle.

2) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the- exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said vertical pipes of the ¡nverted U shaped frame. are spaced apart for receiving the vehicle to be cleaned in between them and the said pipes comprise of angled bends for maintaining the required pressure of the water.

3) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray. operation as claimed in claim 2 wherein the di.ameter dof.the.said:dual vertical, and an Ínter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit pipe is ÍQxVs determined by d = 595 Where d is.the inside diameter of the said pipe in mm, Q is the water flow rate in m3/hr, VS is the specific volume of water in m3/kg and Vis the yelocityrof water in m/s.

4) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as claimed in claim 3 wherein the water flow rate Q is 3 m3/hr, the specific volume of water VS is 0.01 m3/hr and the velocity of water V to be 5 m/s resulting in the diameter d óf the said dual vertical and an ínter connected top horizontal hollow conduit to be 46mm with a thickness of 2 mm_ and outer diameter 50 mm.

5) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said drive control attached to the said wheels of the said base member comprises a plurality of motors driven by the relay circuits connected to the timer circuit and the power supply for driving the wheels of the base member and the corresponding dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow conduit along the length of the said vehicle.

6) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high. pressure spray . operation as claimed in claim 1 wherein a 2 HP and 1 watt AC motor drives the water from. the said overhead tank to the inlet at the center of the said top horizontal hollow cylindrícal frame conduit through a 3 pistón reciprocating pump.

7) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as claimed in claim 6 wherein the pressure of the water inlet into the said dual vertical and an inter connected top hon'zontal hollow cylindrical conduit ,.. . frame is controlled by a pressure gauge positioned at the center of the. said.top *. horizontal hollow.cylindrical conduit.

8) The mobile and automatic contour sensing apparatus for cleaning the exterior surface of the stationary four wheeled vehicles through high pressure spray operation as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said plurality of water out-let means are spaced at equi.distance on the said dual vertical and an intejr_ connected top . horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame spráying thé water at pre-determined pressure and angle on the oüter contour. of the said vehicle td be cleaned.

9) A method for cleaning the outer contour of the vehicle through an apparatus as claimed inclaims l.to.8 Gomprises the steps of . ..

i) Transférring the water from the overhead tank to the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame through the hose pipe fixedly interconnected till the water inlet.

ii) Controlling the pressure and volume of the in-let water through the said motor and pressure gauge positioned at the water inlet means.

iii) Out-letting the controlled pressure water through the plurality of water out-let means positioned at equi-distance on the said dual vertical and an inter connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit frame guiding the out-let water along the length and width of the vehicle.
iv) Gradually activating the said drive system for enabling the linear motion of the said frame along the length of the said vehicle to be cleaned.

v) Enabling the automatic movement of the wheels attached to the base member and correspondingly providing the forward and reverse motion to the said apparatus.

vi) Guiding the out-let water through the plurality of spray nozzles attached to the water out-let means on the entire contour of the stationary vehicle to be cleaned.

10)The methodfor cleaning the outer contour pf the vehicle through an apparatus as' claimed in claim 9 wherein the diameter of d of the said dualvertical and an ínter'.. connected top horizontal hollow cylindrical conduit pipe is determined by where d is the inside diameter of the saíd pipe in mm, Q is the water flow rate in m3/hr, VS is the specific volume of water in m3/kg and V is the velocity of water in m/s.