ES361509A1 - Apparatus for washing vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for washing motor vehicles passing therethrough comprises two horizontal rotary brushes 9, 10 each mounted at one end of a pivoted lever 11 or 12 respectively which levers 11 and 12 are swingable about horizontal axes, have counterweights 17, 18 respectively at their opposite ends, are interconnected e.g. by a cable 21, and in the inoperative position (of Fig. 7) are inclined towards each other. As shown in Fig. 7 lever 11 is inclined at an acute angle [alpha] of maximum 90 degrees and lever 12 at an obtuse angle # of minimum 90 degrees. Levers 11, 12 have pivot axes 13, 14 respectively on which are mounted pulleys 19 and 20 respectively connected by the cable 21 wound such that upward movement of brush 9 as a vehicle to be washed passes through the apparatus causes an equal upward movement of brush 10 which does, however, rotate in the opposite direction to brush 9. A counterweight 23 acts on the pulley 19 to reduce the pressure of brush 9 during washing of the vehicle, a supporting plate 24 being provided on to which counterweight 23 can drop after predetermined upward movement of brush 9 to thereby become ineffective. In an alternative embodiment (Fig. 9) levers 11 and 12 are each connected by cables 29 or 30 to the piston rod 25 or 26 of an hydraulic piston and cylinder device 27 or 28 and these devices are connected by a conduit 31 for upward movement of brush 9 to be transferred in equivalent amount to brush 10. A pump 35 is connected to the conduit 31 by a valve 34 and produces a pressure to counteract the weight of the brush 10 acting on a piston 33, and a time switch 36 is provided to turn off the pump 35 after a time delay corresponding to the raising of brush 10 to the level of the vehicle roof.