B60S1/00

VEHICLE WASH SYSTEM WITH PIVOTING SIDE BRUSHES AND METHOD FOR AVOIDING VEHICLE ANTENNA

A vehicle wash system includes a vehicle treatment area and an overhead frame portion supporting a pair of side brushes. The side brushes are configured to treat the lateral sides of the vehicle and may also treat the front and back of the vehicle. The side brushes are configured to pivot between a vertical position and an outwardly angled position, in which the side brushes are generally aligned with the side glass of the vehicle windows. The side brushes may travel along the side of the vehicle in both the vertical and pivoted orientations. The side brushes may make multiple passes along the side of the vehicle, and the side brushes may change orientation during or between passes to treat different segments of the vehicle. The side brushes may be oriented vertically at a location of a vehicle antenna to avoid the antenna.

VEHICLE WASH SYSTEM HAVING A MULTI-SPEED CAR WASH BRUSH
20190176775 · 2019-06-13 ·

A vehicle wash system includes a vehicle treatment area and an overhead frame portion supporting a rotational brush that is translatable relative to a vehicle disposed within the vehicle treatment area. The brush may rotate in the same rotational direction during a first translation direction and a second translation direction of the brush along the vehicle. During one direction of translation, the brush rotates at a first rotational speed, and in the opposite direction of translation, the brush rotates at increased rotational speed. The system may include a pair of side brushes, with the brushes rotating in opposite rotational directions, but maintaining their rotational directions during both directions of translation.

VEHICLE WASH SYSTEM HAVING A VERTICALLY OPERATED TOP BRUSH WITH COLLAPSIBLE GUIDE TRACK SYSTEM

A vehicle washing system includes a frame disposed above a vehicle treatment area, and a reciprocal guide system coupled to the frame. The guide system is configured to move vertically relative to the frame, and supports a vehicle treatment component such as a rotatable brush. The brush may be lowered and raised relative to the vehicle treatment area by extending or retracting the guide track. When the guide system is retracted upward, there are no downwardly extending guides or rails that extend downward from the bottom of the guide system. The guide system is collapsible in a vertical direction, and may be a scissors mechanism or a telescoping mechanism or other collapsible mechanism. The guide system may be actuated directly or may be actuated dependent on a separate vertical drive mechanism, such as a windable belt.

VEHICLE WASH SYSTEM HAVING A VERTICALLY OPERATED TOP BRUSH WITH PIVOTING ABILITY

A vehicle wash system includes a frame suspended above a vehicle treatment area. A pivotable frame is pivotally coupled to the frame, and an extendable and retractable linear frame is coupled to the pivotable frame and configured to extend downward from the pivotable frame and retract upward toward the pivotable frame. A top brush is coupled to a lower end of the linearly frame, and is extendable toward engagement with a vehicle. The top brush is also pivotable relative to a vertical position via pivoting of the pivotable frame, and the top brush is pivotable at different degrees of extension of the linear frame. The linear frame and the top brush may pivot in response to contact from the vehicle.

VEHICLE WASH SYSTEM HAVING A VERTICALLY OPERATED TOP BRUSH WITH A SCISSOR SUPPORT MECHANISM

A vehicle washing system includes a frame disposed above a vehicle treatment area, and an extendable and retractable scissor mechanism coupled to the frame. A rotatable top brush is coupled to a bottom end of the scissor mechanism, and the scissor mechanism is extendable downward to lower the top brush into engagement with a vehicle body and retractable upward to remove the brush from engagement with the vehicle body. The scissor mechanism may include a brush support flange coupled to a bottom end of the scissor mechanism. An anti-spin member may extend from the support member to the scissor mechanism to prevent bending of the scissor mechanism in response to rotating to the top brush. The anti-spin member may be in the form of a fork that slidably engages a protrusion of the scissor mechanism.

COLD WEATHER LOW FLOW MINIATURE SPRAY NOZZLE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD
20190151865 · 2019-05-23 ·

A low flow compact spray head design for cleaning applications, especially for camera lens wash includes a miniature spray nozzle head which is about 5 mm in diameter or less for a single direction spray nozzle and about 8 mm in diameter of less for a nozzle with multiple sprays. The washer fluid is fed from the bottom of nozzle along a flow axis and is separated into two flows via two power nozzles or inlets which turn the flows 90 to become opposing jets impinging upon each other inside an interaction region. Uniform stream lines are generated by the two direct facing jets and converge at the nozzle throat to become a uniform spray fan, which is on a plane perpendicular to the axis of cylindrical nozzle head. This fluidic circuit design enables a miniature size low flowrate nozzle to operate well consistently with low flow rate (e.g., a flow rate of about 150 mL/min to about 300 mL/min at 25 psi, or even a flow rate of about 250 mL/min at 25 psi or above, at a viscosity of about 25 CP) at cold temperate (4 F. or lower) with 50 percent ethanol. This nozzle design is capable of generating two or more different oriented spray fans (e.g., fans spraying in opposing directions) from one single nozzle.

Windshield wiper assembly
10196042 · 2019-02-05 ·

A windshield wiper assembly for effectively cleaning all of the windshield from top to bottom and side to side. The windshield wiper assembly includes an elongated housing having an open bottom and adapted to extend a width of a windshield; a wiper actuating assembly securely disposed in the housing; and a wiper assembly movably supported upon the wiper actuating assembly.

Vehicle lamp system, foreign substance determination device, and foreign substance determination method
12065109 · 2024-08-20 · ·

A vehicle lamp system includes: a vehicle lamp that emits light to a front area of a vehicle thereby forming a predetermined light distribution pattern; an imaging device that captures an image of the front area of the vehicle; and a foreign substance determination device including a storage unit that stores a light distribution pattern formed in the front area by the vehicle lamp in a state where no foreign substance adheres to a light emitting surface as a reference pattern, and a determination unit that compares a light distribution pattern captured by the imaging device with the reference pattern and determines whether a foreign substance adheres to the light emitting surface based on a determination result.

Defroster and a vehicle having the same

A defroster and a vehicle are provided. The defroster includes: a housing defining an air outlet; a heating device disposed in the housing; an air blower defining a blowing outlet and disposed in the housing; and an air duct defining a duct inlet and a duct outlet, the air duct being disposed between the blowing outlet and the heating device so that air blown out from the blower outlet enters the air duct via the duct inlet and goes out of the air duct via the duct outlet, then passes through the heating device to exchange heat with the heating device, and is discharged out of the housing via the air outlet, wherein an area of the duct inlet is different from that of the duct outlet.

WIPER MOTOR AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A WIPER MOTOR
20180166944 · 2018-06-14 · ·

The invention relates to a wiper motor (10), with a shaft (28) for driving a wiper arm (1), wherein the shaft (28) projects through an opening (29) of a housing (15) and wherein in the region of the opening (29) the shaft (28) is mounted radially in a bore in an at least substantially sleeve-shaped element (30; 30a), wherein the sleeve-shaped element (30; 30a) is fixed at least axially in the region of the housing (15), and wherein the sleeve-shaped element (30; 30a) has at least two different cross-sections (33; 33a, 34), a first cross-section (33; 33a) which is designed to protrude axially at least through the opening (29) and a second cross-section (34) which is designed to be axially fixed within said opening (29) or within a receiving space (25) of said housing (15).